Flames of the Dragon Mage
by LoneWolf218
Summary: Thrust into the middle of a nation threatened from without and within, William Surana must lead a ragtag band and find it within himself to be the flame that holds back the darkness while dealing with the fallout from his past. Pity Ferelden if he fails. Eventual SuranaxLeliana.
1. Prologue: Thrown to the Wolves

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

**Flames of the Dragon Mage**

By LoneWolf218

Prologue: Thrown to the Wolves

If one were to travel along the eastern bank of Lake Calenhad, one would inevitably catch sight of the imposing fortress called Kinloch Hold, a relic of the once-mighty Tevinter Imperium. If the traveler were to look more closely, they would notice the remnants of a massive bridge that was never rebuilt, as well as several small docks, closely watched by armored figures. Most travelers didn't. They turned their heads, pulled their cloaks tighter, and fixed their thoughts on more hospitable places, such as Redcliffe or Highever. Places not touched by the curse of magic.

Within the tower, quiet usually reigns. Aside from the occasional explosions, there is only the soft murmur of conversation and the clinking of the soldiers stationed at regular intervals along the curved halls. At night, things became even more silent, as the inhabitants settle down to dream, and the guards' watch even more closely in this deceptively peaceful time.

This is the home of the Circle of Magi of Ferelden. Some call it a haven, some a prison. It is the only place in the kingdom where mages can legally live and practice magic, under the watchful scrutiny of the Chantry's Templar. It is the duty of these feared religious warriors to watch for and slay apostates, maleficare, and abominations. Apprentices, almost always taken in youth, must learn to control their powers in preparation for the ultimate test.

The Harrowing.

* * *

><p>"Wake up."<p>

William Surana's blue eyes snapped open, and he was on the verge of casting an Arcane Shield before his mind caught up. The helmeted templar standing over him would probably "mistake" the action as hostile, and take action.

"Rise, apprentice, you are to come with me," the templar said quietly. Will slowly got up, pulling his robe on as he looked around the barracks that apprentices were stuffed into to see if anyone else was being woken. He was the only one, which could only mean one thing.

'It is time, then,' he thought, pushing his short brown hair behind his pointed ears and turning back at the waiting templar, who turned and left the room.

They started making their way up through the tower, through the libraries that held so much knowledge, past the labs used in the creation of various magical potions. They moved up into the Templar quarters, which apprentices were forbidden from entering, before finally reaching the Harrowing chamber at the very top of the tower.

There were three more templar and a mage already waiting in the massive, empty room. Though old and wizened-looking, the mage still radiated a sense of power, and with good reason, for he was First Enchanter Irving, widely considered one of the most talented mages Thedas had seen in many years. A short distances away, flanked by his helmeted underlings, stood Knight Commander Greagoir, the final authority of the Ferelden Circle. Though no youngling himself, he still had a severe aura about him and stood ramrod straight. The Templar who had woken Will led the young elf over.

'Cue long-winded speech about dangerous magic and necessity,' Will thought sourly as his guide abandoned him to stand behind Greagoir. As predicted, the old Templar stepped forward and took a deep breath.

"Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him," Greagoir quoted. "Thus spoke the Prophet Andraste as she cast down the Tevinter Imperium, ruled by mages who had brought the world to the edge of ruin." He began to pace dramaticly, forcing Will to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "Your magic is a gift, but it's also a curse, for demons of the Fade are drawn to you and seek to use you as a gateway into this world." He stopped and glared at Will, who nodded to indicate he was listening.

"This is why the Harrowing exists." Irving continued, stepping forward. "The ritual sends you into the Fade, and there you will face a demon, armed with only your will."

'Wonderful, sink-or-swim at its finest. Best get this over with,' Will nodded. "I am ready."

"Know this, apprentice, should you fail, we Templar will perform our duty. You will die." Greagoir warned, causing one of the templar behind him shifted uncomfortably.

Perhaps attempting to blunt this stark statement of intention, Irving spoke up. "The Harrowing is a secret through necessity, child. Every mage must go through this trial by fire, as we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you, and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams, the spirits may rule it, but your own will is real." Will nodded, he had heard all of this many times before.

"The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter." Greagoir cut in, sounding annoyed.

'What, afraid you won't get to kill me?' Will thought sourly as the Knight Commander turned back to him. Irving shook his head sadly before gesturing Will forward.

"You are ready."

Will nodded, and approached the small font at the center of the room. A soft blue glow emanated, and Will sensed the power radiating from the refined lyrium within. Though potentially addictive and dangerous if overused, lyrium was the essence of magic, and Will took a moment to just bask in the flow. Finally, he let his magic flow into his hand and gently dipped it into the lyrium. The liquid stuck to his hand and started crawling up his arm. Suddenly, it engulfed him in a flash of light.

The templar surrounded Will's sleeping body and waited.

(Codex: The Fade)

"The study of the Fade is as old as humankind. For so long as men have dreamed, we have walked its twisting paths, sometimes catching a glimpse of the city at its heart. Always as close as our own thoughts, but impossibly separated from our world.

The Tevinter Imperium once spent vast fortunes of gold, lyrium, and human slaves in an effort to map the terrain of the Fade, an ultimately futile endeavor. Although portions of it belong to powerful spirits, all of the Fade is in constant flux. The Imperium succeeded in finding the disparate and ever-shifting realms of a dozen demon lords, as well as cataloging a few hundred types of spirits, before they were forced to abandon the project.

The relationship of dreamers to the Fade is complex. Even when entering the Fade through the use of lyrium, mortals are not able to control or affect it. The spirits who dwell there, however, can, and as the Chantry teaches us, the great flaw of the spirits is that they have neither imagination nor ambition. They create what they see through their sleeping visitors, building elaborate copies of our cities, people, and events, which, like the reflections in a mirror, ultimately lack context or life of their own. Even the most powerful demons merely plagiarize the worst thoughts and fears of mortals, and build their realms with no other ambition than to taste life." _-From _Tranquility and the Role of the Fade in Human Culture, _by First Enchanter Josephus._

AN: This story is currently being revised to weed out all the errors. If anyone would like to help me in this endevor, feel free to offer, and even if you don't, pease review, since it makes me feel good.


	2. Dream Walker

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 1 Dream walker

Will arrived in the Fade atop a plateau, surrounded as always by nonsensical architecture and landscapes. Several massive, grotesque statues dotted the area, and the ground flowed randomly with grass, dirt, and stone. Glancing into the distance, Will saw a series of floating islands in a brown sky, as well as the only constant sight in the Fade: the Black City, once home to the Maker, and now a grim reminder of humanity's pride.

Will snorted, 'Or so the Chantry says.' Will was one of the mages who had serious grievences with the Chantry and the Templar. He felt it far more likely that the Black City had always been black, and that it's supposed "corruption" was just a story told by the Chantry to justify enslaving mages.

Will shook his head and dragged himself back to his current situation. He had a demon to find if he wanted to avoid being one of the dozens of unmarked graves. He walked over to the edge of the plateau and glanced down. He saw a ball of light flitting around near the end of a small path leading up to his positon.

'A wisp' he thought. These collections of magic were the last remnants of a destroyed spirit; wisps were a pure reflections of the defining emotion of the spirit they were in life. A "good" wisp, based on a helpful spirit, would often try to guide or protect dreamers, while one that came from a demon would generally attack on sight. Will prepared an Arcane Bolt as he approached the twitching being, since it was almost impossible to tell what type a wisp was from a distance.

A wordless screech of rage echoed through the area as the wisp noticed Will. Without hesitation, he launched his spell before countered the wisp's lightning ball with a shield. Lacking any thoughts of self-preservation, the rage wisp died as Will's Arcane Bolt tore through it.

Pushing on, Will passed through an out-of-place canyon, noting with some amusement an upside-down tree. Another rage wisp fell without resistance before Will found something interesting.

"Someone else thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever." Will glanced around, seeking the source of this incredibly human-sounding voice. "Down here!" He glanced down to see a mouse pokeing it's head out of a small hole.

"Who're you?" Will asked, crouching down to get a better look. The mouse pulled himself out of his hole, watching Will.

"Just know you're in the same boat I was," the mouse said as it started to glow; it's form flowing upwards. Will prepared an Arcane Shield immediately, but the mouse, now a human, ignored this gesture and continued sardonically "Allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me, well, Mouse."

"Nice to meet you, my name must be Elf" Will said, causing Mouse rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though, you were once an apprentice, right?"

"Yes, I was." Mouse said, "But I don't remember anything from… before. The Templers kill you if you take too long, see" he hissed with renewed rage. "They figure you _failed,_ and don't want something getting out." He started pacing. "It isn't right that they do this, the Templers. Not to you, me, anyone." The creatures voice dropped to a frustrated mutter, "It's always the same. That's what they did to me."

Will shrugged. "I already knew they were out to get us, so I'm not surprised. Sorry about what happened to you." Mouse sighed again.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault," Mouse said "But enough chit chat. You're here to fight a demon, that much they told you. What they probably didn't mention was that there are other spirits around that might be willing to help you. In fact, unless I'm much mistaken, you _can't_ beat the demon without their help. Not that the Templar care." Will nodded.

"Well, then, I should probably seek them out. Thank you for your advice." Will moved around Mouse and continued down the path, hearing the former apprentice transform behind him. A few seconds later, Will realized that there was a patter of feet behind him. Turning, he saw that Mouse was following him.

Answering the question that Will was about to ask, Mouse said "I think I'll follow you for a while. My time was long ago, but you might have a chance. I would like to help in any way I can, such as telling you a spirit is currently residing on a hill just beyond this canyon." Will thanked Mouse again, and the two moved on, Will destroying another wisp without much effort.

The pair left the canyon and made their way up the hill, Mouse falling behind as Will beheld the new spirit. It was armored from head to toe, and surrounded by piles and racks of every weapon imaginable. Will stopped just outside of the range of the sword the spirit carried.

"Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn, I see" the spirit announced in a booming voice, turning to look at him. "Your mages have devised a cowardly test. Better you should be pitted against each other to prove your mettle, than to be sent unarmed against a demon."

"I didn't have much choice in the matter." Will pointed out, ignoring the fact that it was the Templers, whom the spirit dressed like, whom had probably come up with the Harrowing.

"Indeed, the choice, and the fault, lies with the mages who sent you here." Valor said, and Will had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Spirits were very touchy, and took offense easily.

"What kind of spirit are you?"

"I am Valor, a warrior spirit." Valor responded with a touch of pride. "My purpose is to seek perfection, creating the ultimate weapon for the pursuit of valor."

"Well, since you have so many weapons, do you think that I could borrow a staff to fight the demon with?" Will asked. Valor folded his arms thoughtfully.

"I will give you one… if you agree to duel me. Valor will test your mettle as it _should_ be tested."

"Very well, Valor." Will agreed, remembering Mouse's warning that he didn't have much time.

"We shall continue until I am satisfied. If you are unable to meet my standards, I shall slay you. Is this acceptable?"

"Bring it on" Will said, preparing his magic. Valor drew his sword and shield, looking slightly impressed that Will had agreed so quickly.

"Very well! Fight with Valor!"

Will immediately unleashed a stream of fire from both hands, engulfing the armored spirit. Valor seemed to ignore this onslaught and charged forward, swinging his sword in a downwards arc. Will ducked behind an Arcane Shield that was angled so that the sword skimmed off and missed. With his other hand, Will fired and arcane bolt, which Valor easily caught on his shield as he swung again. Jumping back to avoid the swing, Will direct another jet of fire at the spirit's helmet. Valor blocked it with his shield, but the distraction gave Will time to get a bit of distance between himself and Valor.

"Why do you run from me, mortal?" Valor asked, sounding disappointed as he pausing for a moment.

"A warrior with sword and shield is most effective in the thick of battle." Will answered. "A mage is most effective just outside of the melee. It is not cowardice to seek to use your skills to their full effectiveness."

"A fine answer." Valor stated as he rushed forward again. Will's fire raged forth again, taking the form of two tendrils that came at Valor from different sides and heights. "Clever, frontal attacks have little meaning against a shield." Valor commented as he somehow jumped over the low tendril while forcing the high one over his head, then charging his foe again. Will responded by linking the two tendrils and pulling the resulting ring towards Valor while redirecting another slash. Valor quickly moved his shield behind him to disperse the flames, but stumbled back as an Arcane Bold slammed into his chest.

"Enough, I am satisfied." Valor said, sheathing his weapons and reaching into the nearest pile to grab a beautiful staff, which he tossed to Will, who leaned slightly on it, tired from the battle. "May you find success in all your accomplishments, Mortal."

"Thanks, Valor." Will said.

"That was incredible!" Mouse cried as they met at the bottom of the hill. "You're the first apprentice I've seen who was able to hit Valor hard enough to impress him, and I've never seen anything like those fire tendrils before!"

"I thought you didn't remember anything from before." Will said as he torched a spirit wolf that was rushing towards him.

"I… don't." Mouse said slowly "But I'm sure that I would recall something as incredible as that. Apprentices usually don't have that kind of control."

"I've always had a close affinity with fire." Will said, and then changed the subject. "So, Mouse, why did you take the form you did?"

"Well, after the Templers killed me, I was left all alone in the Fade." Mouse said bitterly. "I was scared, and so I hid from everything. Eventually, I took the form of a mouse, so that I could hide more effectively. Finally, the mouse in me swamped the human, and I became Mouse. That's the way that the Fade works."

"Interesting." Will said thoughtfully. The two continued on in silence for a while, passing through a strange and undulating forest as Will burned any hostile beings that approached. Suddenly, Mouse stopped short.

"There is a demon nearby. Not the one hunting you, but still… we should be careful." Will nodded, and slowly moved around a completely arbitrary cliff face into a small clearing. At first, nothing stuck out, but then the companions realized that the odd pile off to one side was breathing.

It looked like a bear, if one accepted that bears had rotting skin and spikes sticking out. The creature was also massive, easily taller at the shoulder than Will was. Its steady breathing indicated that it was asleep.

"It's a Sloth demon. Lets sneak by _really_ quietly," Mouse whispered, and the two slowly started to pass the demon.

"So, you are the mortal, being hunted?" a voice rumbled through the clearing as two small, bloodshot eyes opened. Will halted immediately, as Mouse scampered behind him. "I might have been inclined to eat you myself, but that would take… too much effort."

"Wonderful, he isn't interested in us. Let's get moving before he changes his mind" Mouse hissed, but Will was struck with a crazy idea.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind speaking with you for a moment.

"Hmm. I don't particularly want to talk, but stopping you would require even more effort." Sloth murmured, his eyes switching from Mouse to Will. "Speak, then. I may answer."

"Do you know why I'm here?" Will asked, and the demon slowly nodded. "If you could offer any help, I would be very grateful."

"You have a very nice staff, mortal. What could you possible need from me?" the demon yawned, his eyes drooping. "If that is all, go on and fight your demon. Be… valorous."

"He looks powerful." Mouse said quietly, transforming back to his human form. "It's possible that he could teach you to… be like him."

"Him? No." Sloth rumbled, sounding mildly amused. "Mortals are far to attached to their forms to learn to change." His eyes switched to Mouse "You, on the other hand, have already abandoned your mortal body years ago. I could teach you."

"I wouldn't make a very good bear. How would I hide?"

"Hiding doesn't solve anything, Mouse" Will said. "We have to face the world if we are to change it."

"Who said I _wanted_ to change the world?" Mouse hissed furiously. "I have seen more in this Maker-forsaken place than you could possibly imagine!" He took a deep breath, then slowly continued "But, through all that, I haven't done anything. I have existed, but not lived. I guess your right, actually. Perhaps it is time to change. I'll try to be a bear." Mouse moved forward to stand beside Will.

"That's nice" the demon huffed. "But I never said that I would actually do anything."

"Wha… I knew he wouldn't help us," Mouse groaned in frustration.

"You can't suggest something and then decide that you won't do it!" Will snarled.

"I can't?" Sloth asked in amusement. "You have so much to learn about the Fade, little mortal."

"Mouse is willing to learn. Teach him."

"Hmm, it seems I have become mildly interested in this whole affair. Let us make a deal, little mortal. If you can answer my three riddles, I will teach your friend. If you cannot, I will devour you both. What say you?"

"Very well, Sloth." The demon slowly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed avidly on Will.

"My first riddle, is this: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand. Towns without people, mountains without land. What am I?" Will stared at Sloth for a few moments, and Mouse started backing up very slowly. Grabbing his companion's arm, Will answered: "A map."

"Hmm, correct. Let's move on. My second riddle is this: I am seldom touched, but often held. If you have wit, you'll use me well. What am I?"

Will's thoughts drifted back to a distant memory, and he answered with a sad smile, "A tongue."

"Yes, your witty tongue." Sloth grumbled. "One more try: Often will I spin the tale, never will I charge a fee. I'll amuse you an entire eve. But alas, you won't remember me. What am I?"

"A dream." Will answered promptly. "Did you really try that one when we are _in_ a dream?" The Sloth demon glared for a moment, then sighed.

"You are correct. Rather apropos here in the Fade, no? But you've won my challenge and proven yourself and amusing distraction. Now, I shall teach your friend. To begin, you must…"

* * *

><p>"Like this? Am I a bear? It feels, heavy" Mouse wondered aloud, as he shuffled around in his new body. Black furred, about two thirds of Will's height, it had taken a mere fifteen minutes for him to grasp. Fifteen minutes that had felt like an eternity to Will, who remembered Mouse's dire warnings. How long did he have until Greagoir lost patience and decided to have him killed? Would Irving try to intervene, or just stand aside, reasoning that he had other apprentices to throw into the flames?<p>

"Hmm, close enough." Sloth said, laying down and turning back to Will. "Go then, and defeat your demon. It's that way" gesturing one of the paths out of the clearing "Now, leave me be. I grow weary of your prattling."

"Thank you." Will said, walking off, followed by the now-large Mouse. The two walked in silence, easily defeating a group of spirit wolves, until Will said jokingly: "So, should I start calling you Bear now?"

"Your never going to let that go, are you?" Mouse grumbled, his voice slightly deeper through the bear form. "Are you sure you want to face the demon now? I could point you to another spirit…"

"No, I'm pretty sure I can do this." Will said. "A few quick questions, though. What is the demon like?"

"It's a rage demon, lowest on the hierarchy but still powerful." Mouse said, his bear-face scrunched up. "It manifests in an "arena" just over that way, and has a fiery form. It also generally has a few wisps in attendance. Did I mention that it was strong?"

"Yes, Mouse, but so are we." Will patted his friend reassuringly.

"But you said you were a fire mage. You won't be able to hurt it much, and it's so hot I won't be able to either."

"I have a plan" Will whispered as the two entered the arena. In the middle, cracks appeared in the ground, fire emanating from them. Then, a lava hand rose up, grabbing the ground. Another joined it, which then pulled the full body of the demon out of the ground. About Will's height, it was indeed made entirely of flame and lava, and had no facial structure except for two hate-filled eyes.

"And so it comes to me at last" Rage's voice echoed. "Soon I shall se the land of the living with your eyes, creature. You will be mine, body and soul."

"Why don't you come over here and prove that, demon!" Will hissed, his magic flaring up at his command. The demon emanated an aura condescending superiority, his own fires becoming noticeably hotter.

"Oh, I shall." Then, surprisingly, he turned to Mouse, who had transformed and moved to stand beside Will. "So, this creature is your offering, Mouse, as per our arrangement." Will turned in surprise towards his companion, who was covering his face. He then had the horrible realization that his life depended on someone he had known for all of half an hour. If the bear turned on him, there was no way that he could defeat the traitor as well as the demon and wisps that were now moving to surround him.

"We don't _have_ an arrangement! Not anymore!" Mouse cried, his eyes blazing as he raised his head. While the demons face could not show any emotion, his next words made up for it.

"So, after all the wonderful meals we shared," he said in a voice that didn't even try to hide his simmering fury, "now suddenly the _mouse_ is _changing the rules_."

"I'm not a mouse anymore." Mouse said proudly. "And soon I won't have to hide. I don't need to bargain with _you_."

"We shall see" the demon hissed, and then everything started happening at once.

"Distract it!" Will cried, immediately blasting one wisp before turning to engage the ones behind him. Mouse complied, shifting into his bear form and charging Rage, who responded by engulfing him with a jet of fire.

The five wisps Will faced might have been a threat, but made the mistake of clumping a little to closely. One raging wall of flames eliminated three instantly, and then Will split two whips of fire to strike down the remaining two. He then turned to help Mouse, who simply could not get close enough to Rage to attack.

"Pull back, Mouse, you've done your bit." Will shouted, and the bear gratefully complied, rolling to put out some of his flaming fur. The demon turned to face Will instead.

"Foolish creature, I am a being of fire. I have watched you, and I know that is your element too. You cannot hurt me."

Will smiled grimly, and then shifted his staff to his off hand. "Magical fire is an interesting thing." he said, "If one thinks about it, it is simply the use of mana to super-heat the air enough that it burns." Will raised his hand, forming his fingers into a snapping position. "Ice is considered fire's opposite, but really all it is is super-cooling the air." Will snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a bluish mist formed around the demon, and he roared in pain as ice gripped him.

"So really." Will continued, snapping his fingers again. "All you're doing…" Snap. "…Is manipulating heat…" Snap. "So it's actually quite easy to use both." Snap. The demon charged Will, unable to use it's powers through the haze of pain and ice. Will gripped his staff and slammed it into the ground, causing the demon to thrash as a blade of ice rose from the ground, impaling him. Simultaneously, all the heat was sucked from the area, freezing the demon in place. Will calmly approached, placing his staff's tip between the demon's dimming eyes. "Goodbye, Rage. You were an utterly uninteresting foe." Will taunted as he fired an Arcane Bolt. The demon exploded into death.

"You did it!" Mouse cheered, as he transformed back to human form. "I was worried there, but I should have known an apprentice of your potential would have a surprise up their sleeve!"

"I notice he demon mentioned other "meals". Who were those unfortunate apprentices you deemed unworthy to live?" Will asked quietly. He had not put away his staff.

"What? They were not as promising as you. They wouldn't have survived anyways. I… don't even remember their names. I don't remember my own name. It's the Fade, and the Templars killing me, like they were going to with you." Mouse said hurriedly, backing up a little.

'Like an animal.' Will thought in disgust, but let it go. "So, what do you want from me?"

"You've completed your test. Someday, you will be a master enchanter without equal. And there is hope in that for someone as small and… forgotten as me."

"…What do you mean?" Will asked slowly. Mouse's face had adopted a calculating look.

"There may be a way for me to get a foothold outside. You just have to want to… let me in." Mouse said hopefully, but there was something… else.

Will's blood chilled, as the true nature of the being in front of him became clear. "The other demon wasn't my real test, was it?" he asked quietly, suddenly noticing that Mouse was not wearing apprentice robes, but Senior Enchanter garments. This was no apprentice.

"What? What else here could harm an apprentice of your potential?" Mouse asked, trying to sound offended. Will simply glared at him, bringing his staff up again. Finally, Mouse smirked. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" His expression then changed to an ugly leer.

"Smart enough to see through you, demon," Will said.

"Simple killing is a warrior job_._" Mouse said, his voice deepening threateningnly. "The real dangers of the Fade, are preconceptions, careless trust, _pride_." His body glowed again, and then rose upwards. Will then understood. Mouse was a Pride Demon, the most dangerous creatures in the Fade. He slowly powerful monster vanished "Keep your wits about you, mage," its voice lingered as the world went white.

"True tests, _never end_."

(Codex: Rage Demons)

Encountered in the Fade, the true form of a rage demon is a frightening sight: a thing of pure fire, its body seemingly made of amorphous lava and its eyes two pinpricks of baleful light radiating from its core. The abilities of such a demon center on the fire it generates. It burns those who come near, and the most powerful of its kind are able to lash out with bolts of fire and even firestorms that can affect entire areas.

Fortunately, even powerful rage demons are less intelligent then most other varieties. Their tactics are simple: attack an enemy on sight with as much force as possible until it perishes. Some rage demons carry over their heat-based abilities into possessed hosts, but otherwise the true form is mostly seen outside of the Fade when it's specifically summoned by a mage to do his bidding.

AN: Again, reviews would be most welcome.


	3. Bound in Blood and Magic

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 2: Bound in Blood and Magic

Jowan groaned as he mentally dragged himself back into the waking world. It took him a moment to realize what had woke him: the sound of armor clinking, as well as quiet murmurs.

"… One of the best Harrowings I've ever seen. Saw through that last trap almost instantly." Jowan almost jerked up at those words. Harrowing! Someone had gone through their Harrowing. Pretending to still be asleep, he squinted around the room, trying to see where the Templars took the mage they were carrying. They stopped at Will's bed.

'He did it!' Jowan thought fiercely. He wouldn't have to say goodbye to another friend, not this time. The Templars lay Will down, then left as quietly as their armor would allow. Jowan opened his eyes fully, trying to get a better look at Will. He didn't look that bad, and the Templar said that he had done well. Glancing up at the light beginning to stream through a window, Jowan started to get ready for the day; it would not be long before the wake up horn would go off. If Will was like the previous survivors, he wouldn't be awake for a few hours yet.

* * *

><p>'<em>True tests, never end'<em>

Will jerked up, panting, the final warning of the pride demon echoing tauntingly in his mind. He looked around, expecting the demon to be coming for him. But, no, he was back in the apprentice barracks. He closed his eyes and lay back, groaning.

'I don't get it,' Will thought. 'I was just asleep, so why do I feel so tired.'

"Hey, Will, aren't you going to get up?" Will groaned, opening one eye.

"Ugh… Jowan, I can't stand the sound of your voice, so can you go away?" Will looked up at his friend, who grinned.

"Not a chance. You already slept through all of today's classes," Jowan said, then shook his head. "Oh, yeah, you passed your Harrowing, you're a full mage now. No more classes for you." He then glanced around. "Hey, Will, on that note, is there any way that you could tell me what happened?"

"It was… harrowing," Will said, smiling as Jowan rolled his eyes. "But why do you ask? You'll be going for your own before too long."

"I'm not so sure about that," Jowan said, the warmth draining from his voice. "I've already been here longer than you have. Sometimes I worry that they're never going to test me." Will's closed his eyes for a moment. A lot of what Jowan said was true, and the conclusion made sense. The problem was that, if an apprentice was deemed not worthy of taking the Harrowing, there was only one option the Templar considered: Tranquility.

"Don't worry, Jowan. Irving wouldn't leave you in the lurch like that." Will tried to reassure his friend… and himself.

"Yeah…" Jowan said, not sounding convinced. "Oh, that reminds me. Irving wanted to see you when you woke up."

"Did he say what about?" Will asked. He did not want to leave their previous topic unfinished, but realizing that when Jowan changed the subject, it would take an act of the Maker to get him to talk about it again.

"No, he didn't, but if I had to guess, it would be about what you get to do now that you're a full mage. You should probably get going." Will nodded, said his goodbye, and left the room. He glanced back, and noticed that Jowan was getting something out of his trunk. Will wished there was more he could say to his friend.

Once again, Will wandered his way up through the tower. Somehow, even though he had walked these halls for years, it seemed… different, now that he was a full mage rather than an apprentice.

He entered the spacious library, listening with amusement to Erk trying and failing to control a magical fire. The younger mage was not bad at magic, just the Primal school. For most mages, one of the four schools of magic: Primal, Creation, Spirit, and Entropy, came relatively easily to them, while the others were a constant struggle. Will himself was most proficient with the fiery elements of Primal, but also had an understanding of Spirit's telekinesis. The other two schools were mostly beyond him.

Primal was the magic of the elements. Energy was bent into fire and ice, stone and lightning. The best know school; it was considered the easiest. While it was true that almost any mage could do it, there were not many who chose to use it with finesse and skill.

Creation, on the other hand, had more peaceful applications, and required a more steady hand. Abilities like healing stemmed from this school, as well as defensive glyphs and auras. Masters of Creation were also the most likely to be allowed outside the tower, to be used by large cities to combat desiese and other health problems.

Spirit, the magic pulled directly from the Fade, was the least common branch, and thus was sometimes mistaken as being forbidden by the ignorant. Still, in some ways, it was the most useful, able to direcly interact with the source of all magic.

Entropy was the nastiest legal branch of magic, designed to weaken, confuse, and harm foes through the application of curses and hexes. Will had heard more than one debate among the Templar whether Entropy should be lumped with Blood magic, but so far they hadn't decided to take that step.

A little further into the library, some of the youngest apprentices, ten and below, were getting a lecture from one of the Chantry's Sisters about the Templar's favorite mantra "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him." This passage of the Chant of Light was the whole reason for the existence of the various Circles in Thedas. It was what gave the Chantry the right to run the lives of mages all over the world. Will found it incredibly ironic that the Chantry's own document was what they saw as making them legal overlords, rather like the way that the laws made solely by the human nobility was used to oppress the elven Alienages where he had spent the first seven years of his life. He sometimes wondered if the Chantry ever stopped to consider this.

'Probably, it's their whole bloody plan, right?' he thought grimly

Will knew why the laws had come to pass, of coarse. In ancient times, the Tevinter Imperium had ruled almost all of Thedas. It had been run, in turn, by the Magisters, powerful blood mages who's cruelty had caused a great deal of suffering. That much was know fact, but the Chantry accused them of much more. It claimed that the Magister's arrogance was so great, that they had forced their way physically into the Fade, and sought to take the throne of the Maker. They were rebuffed, "twisted and cursed by their own corruption" and had become the monstrous darkspawn. To further damn their memories, the Magisters assault on the Golden City is said to have caused the Maker to turn his back on the world again, leading to the current sorry state of affairs.

Once, a few weeks after Will had first arrived at the Tower, he had heard Anders, now one of his best friends, ask why the current generation of mages were still being punished for the crimes committed by those who had died long ago. The answer the class had been given was, of coarse, that their being taken from their families and exiled to the Tower was not actually a punishment, but a way to defend them from those out in the world who feared their power. Anders had gone on to ask why the apostates, those that did manage to live outside of the Circle, were hunted. If they were capable of making it in the outside world without hurting anyone, then why should they be bothered? The Sister who had been giving the lecture had answered by talking about maleficare, and how they were a threat to everything, and cursed by the Maker. In so doing, she had conveniently ignored the bit about how Anders' theoretical apostates were not hurting anyone, but this realization only came to Will in hindsight.

Will, wrapped up in these thoughts, only realized that he was nearing Irving's office when he heard the First Enchanter and Knight Commander Greagoir arguing about something through the open door. Glancing in, he saw them, as well as a man he didn't know.

About fifty years old, the newcomer had dark hair and a beard. His medium armor, unlike Greagoir's almost ceremonial suit, looked like it had seen a great deal of action, and he wielded a long sword and a dagger. But the thing that caught Will's attention the most, as clichéd as it was, were his eyes. They were light blue, but somehow seemed… darker, as though they had seen even more of the world than his age would indicate. Despite this, however, they seemed calm, at peace. The man glanced up from the argument and noticed Will, but did not immediately comment.

"… many have already gone to Ostagar—Wynne, Uldred, and most of the senior mages. We've committed enough of our own to this war effort—" Greagoir was saying furiously. Will rolled his eyes, what Greagoir really meant was "We've let too many off their leashes already."

"Your own?" Irving retaliated in wry amusement, seeming to agree with Will. "Since when have you felt such kinship with the mages, Greagoir? I think it good that we are occasionally actually allowed to use our Maker given powers."

"How dare you suggest-" Greagoir started dangerously, before being interrupted by the unknown man, who had perhaps sensed that the argument was about to dissolve into an actual fight.

"Gentlemen, please." He had a rich voice, with an accent that was hard to place. Surprisingly, he was actually able to get the quarrelers' attention, which caused Will's opinion of him to go up a few notches. "Irving, someone is here to see you," he continued. Irving turned to Will, having just realized he was there.

"You sent for me, First Enchanter?" Will asked, stepping farther into the room.

"Ah, if it isn't our newest brother in the Circle. Come in, child," Irving said warmly, all traces of his argument with Greagoir fading from his face. The newcomer stepped forward to stand beside Irving, still studying Will intensely.

"This is…?" he started.

"Yes, this is he," Irving confirmed. Will wondered what Irving had told this strange man about him. Hopefully nothing bad. Greagoir's eyes narrowed.

"Well, Irving, you're obviously busy. We will continue this discussion later." Greagoir said, striding past them toward the door. Will stepped out of the way, meeting the Knight Commander's eyes for a moment. Greagoir gave him a warning look, before continuing on.

"Of course." Irving answered, either not noticing the byplay or, more likely, dismissing it as irrelevant. "Well, where was I? Oh, yes. This is Duncan, leader of the Grey Wardens."

"A Grey Warden, here?" Will said, his eyebrows shooting up. The Grey Wardens were a widely respected group of warriors, who's duty it was to fight the darkspawn. Little was known about them other than this, but they were almost universally trusted, even in Fereldan, where until twenty-some years ago, they had been exiled.

"Grey Wardens go wherever duty sends them." Duncan said seriously.

"You've heard about the darkspawn threat rising in the south, haven't you?" Irving asked. Will nodded, having heard some rumors about a large incursion in the Korcari Wilds, which was the southernmost reach of Fereldan. "Duncan here has come to recruit mages for the Kings army at Ostagar."

"It is essential that we drive the hoard back in the south." Duncan said. "If we cannot, then Fereldan may face another Blight."

"Duncan" Irving chided gently "Your worrying the poor boy with all this talk of darkspawn and Blights. He just passed his greatest challenge, today is a happy day for him."

"These are troubled times, my friend." Duncan said quietly.

"We should seize moments of levity, _especially_ in troubled times." Irving responded equally softly, before turning back to Will. "The Harrowing is behind you. Your phylactery was sent to Denerim. You are now officially a mage within the Circle of Magi."

"My leash, you mean." Will said sourly.

"Now, child, it's not that bad." Irving tried to calm the new mage.

"I'm sorry," Duncan interjected, "but what is this phylactery?"

"Blood is taken from all apprentices when they first come to the tower, and is preserved in special vials." Irving started, trying to shut Will out of the conversation, but the younger mage wasn't having any of that.

"Should a mage ever leave the tower" Will continued, "the Templar are able to use the blood to find them." It seemed awfully like blood magic to Will, but with all the other borderline hypocritical things the Templar did, what was one more?

"We have few choices" Irving said warningly, and Will took the hint and shut up. "The gift of magic is looked upon with suspicion and fear. We must prove that we are strong enough to handle our powers responsibly." He turned back to Will, smiling. "You have done this. I present you with your robes, your staff, and a ring identifying you as a full member of the Circle," he said, handing the aforementioned items to Will. "Wear them proudly, for you have earned them."

"Thank you, First Enchanter."

"Please, take the time to rest, or study, whatever you want to do. The day is yours." Will nodded, bowed slightly to Duncan, and turned towards the door.

"I will be returning to my quarters," Duncan said behind him.

"Oh, child," Irving called, and Will turned back around. "Would you be kind enough to walk Duncan back to his quarters?"

"Of course, First Enchanter," Will answered. It would be nice to talk to someone from outside the tower for a while. "Where are you staying, Sir Duncan?"

"On the other side of the tower," Duncan said as he fell into step beside Will. "And you may simply address me as Duncan, I am no knight."

"Well, you were able to get the First Enchanter and the Knight Commander to stop arguing, at least temporarily. I never thought I'd see the day when that came to pass," Will said, only partially joking. Duncan nodded, smiling slightly. He had dealt with those two to know that there was a great deal of tension in their dealings, even though there was mutual respect underneath.

"So, they were arguing about sending mages to Ostagar. If the darkspawn are as great a threat as you say, why would anyone want to hold back?"

"Part of the problem is that, since the darkspawn have not been seen for so long, there are those who no longer believe them to be a threat. However, in this case, the reason is simply a… difference of priorities." Duncan sighed. "The Knight Commander is a good man, but his duty is to keep mages in check. Thus, he sees everything through that filter."

"And so he wants to keep us all locked up, no matter what?" Will asked quietly, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Indeed. I sometimes wonder if all the Chantry's rules regarding mages are really necessary. Darkspawn are a far greater threat than maleficare, or even abominations, and mages are powerful allies against the hoards." Will snorted.

"Don't you remember? The darkspawn threat is all mages fault anyways."

"Cynicism ill suits one as young as you," Duncan chided. The pair had stopped outside his room.

"If you insist," Will responded, then remembered something. "First Enchanter Irving was talking about me to you, wasn't he. Could you tell me what he said?"

"Nothing bad." Duncan said, smiling slightly. "Thank you for escorting me, William Surana."

"Say nothing of it." Will said, nodding. Duncan entered his room, as Will wandered off. He was just wondering what he was going to do for the rest of the day when his sharp ears picked up soft footsteps behind him.

"Hello, Jowan," He said calmly, turning to face his friend.

"Oh, good. I was hoping to find you." Jowan whispered. Wills eyes widened slightly at the nervousness in his friends voice, as well as the way he was looking around.

"What's wrong, Jowan. Your very jumpy."

"I… can't say here. Lets go somewhere more… private."

"Jowan, this isn't like you." Will said, following the nervous apprentice. "And why are we going towards the chapel?"

"We need to be here. I'll explain in a second." Jowan muttered as he pushed the door slowly open. There were not any templar in the chapel at the moment, and only one Sister. Surprisingly, Jowan headed right for her, Will in tow. "Ok," he said when they reached her alcove, "we can talk here."

"Um, Jowan, you do realize one of the Chantry's Sisters is right behind you, don't you?" Will asked, studying her suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm not a sister, just an Initiate," she responded, smiling slightly as she stepped up to stand beside Jowan.

"Will, you remember how I said I had, met a girl?" Jowan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is Lily."

"You… You can't be serious, can you?" Will asked, hoping against hope that the two would start laughing at their joke.

"I am," Jowan said, gently gripping Lily's hand. "I know what your thinking, but I love her." She smiled warmly, squeezing back.

"Okay, this can't be the reason you asked me to come. This is your business, and not something you would be nervous about at this point," 'Unless someone had found out,' Will thought sourly, 'and you want me to do something about it.' But what could he do? It wasn't like he had a lot of influence at the Tower.

"No." Jowan said, his face falling. "There is… something else." He glanced helplessly at Lily, who was also frowning.

"I was in the First Enchanters office yesterday, and I saw something very disturbing," she said, and Will could hear the fear tinting her voice. "They are planning to make Jowan Tranquil."

"…No… No that isn't possible…" Will whispered in horror. Death was not the worst thing that could befall a member of the Circle. Death may be final, but there was the possibility of a better life afterwards. And, no matter what, you were yourself right up until the end. Tranquility was far worse. Using some ritual, as well as a lyrium brand, the Templar cut the mage off from the Fade. This took away the person's magic, which could be considered a good thing, because that was what allowed mages to be possessed by Fade demons. Hence the reason Tranquility was offered as an alternative to the Harrowing.

The horrible thing was that, the process also removed all emotions from the victim. For all intents and purposes, the new Tranquil was an empty husk, able to exist, but not to truly _live_.

It got even worse since it wasn't just an option given to mages. Will was sympathetic towards those that had chosen their path, but at least it had been their choice. There were others, however, who had Tranquility forced upon them. Those whom the Templar considered either too weak to pass the Harrowing, or too strong to be controlled, were taken away and forced to be Tranquil. They were murdered without even having the finality of death. The first time someone Will knew had been forced to undergo Tranquility, he had been 9. He had spent much of that night hugging his pillow and crying, partially because of her loss, and partially to reassure himself that _he__ still could_.

His horror slowly turned to rage. 'Those bastards are planning to take my friend from me?' he mentally hissed. 'Over. My. Dead. Body.'

"Are you alright?" Lily asked worriedly. "You're getting, well, hot." This did not even begin to describe what was happening. Will fury was causing his magic to flare up, searing the air around him. If anyone were to try to touch him, they would receive severe burns for their trouble. Will closed his eyes, then started breathing slowly.

'In, out. In, out,' he repeated to himself, forcing his rage down. Finally, he opened his eyes. "Why? What excuse have they come up with?" The burning rage that had filled him was gone, but the two before him recoiled slightly at the cold hate in his voice.

"There are rumors, that I'm… a blood mage. They think that making me a full mage would put the Tower at risk."

"Are you?" Will asked bluntly.

"Of course not!" Jowan insisted, shaking his head vigorously. "But that doesn't matter. The Templar only have to think I am. They'll take everything from me!" He wailed. "My magic, my soul, my love for Lily, all gone!"

"Jowan, I need to talk to you." Will said quietly.

"But we are…"

"Privately" Will insisted, dragging Jowan towards the other side of the chapel. Lily started to follow, but backed off as Will's icy eyes turned on her.

"What is this about?" Jowan asked. "Lily is helping…"

"How much do you trust her?" Will interrupted. "We only have her word that this isn't a trap."

"How could you?" Jowan hissed. "I know Lily. She wouldn't be a part of any trap!"

"Are you willing to bet your life on that? She's one of them."

"No, she isn't!" Jowan retaliated. "I _love_ Lily, and trust her with my life. Please, understand that. I know how you feel on these matters, _but she is not like them_!"

"…Fine. On your head be it. Just know that I don't trust her." Jowan opened his mouth for a moment before closeing it and walking stiffly back to Lily, followed by Will.

"Will you help?" she asked worriedly. Will nodded sharply.

"What must I do?"

"Oh, thank you!" Lily sighed. Then, she cleared her throat. "The only way to get Jowan out of this is for him to escape the Tower. To do this, his phylactery must be destroyed."

"I hope you have a better plan than that." Will said scornfully.

"I know how to get to the door of the phylactery chamber," Lily continued. "The problem is, however, that that door can only be only be opened with two keys. One of them is held by First Enchanter Irving, and the other by Knight Commander Greagoir. The probability of getting one of them, let alone both, is very low."

"However." Jowan started. "If we are able to get a Rod of Fire, we could burn right through the lock. Especially if a fire adept like you were using it."

"That seems like something that they would expect." Will said quietly, his eyes on Lily.

"To get through the outer door requires not only a full mage, but a willing member of the Chantry," Lily explained. "The people who designed the defenses were probably not expecting that." Will nodded, that was true, but hearing it come from a member of the Chantry made him suspicious.

"As you know, Rods are kept in the Store Room, which only full mages can access." Jowan said. "And so…"

"I must go get one." Will finished. "Ok. You two probably shouldn't stay together. Jowan, go to the main area and… pray for your soul or something." With that, he turned and headed for the storeroom.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the Circle Stockroom of Magical Items. I am Owain. How may I help you?" Owain, the Tranquil in charge of the stockroom, said in a monotone as Will approached.<p>

"Hello. I need a Rod of Fire," Will said as calmly as he could.

"Why do you need one?"

"I am doing research on how to more tightly control my fire without an aid. For this, I need an aid so as to tell the difference."

"Very well." Owain said, writing quietly on a sheet of parchment. He then handed the form to Will. "Get this signed by a Senior Enchanter, and I will release a rod to you."

"Will do." Will said. ''This' he thought, 'is why being Tranquil sucks.' Owain was little more than a puppet. Will's story had been the best he could come up with on the short trip, and should not have fooled anyone. But the poor Tranquil had been unable to see through even that pitiful ruse. Now, Will had to figure out how to get a Senior Enchanter to sign a form. Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hello William," Senior Enchanter Leorah said warmly as Will came up to her table in the Alchemy lab. She was a relatively young elf senior enchanter at around 50. Will nodded politely.<p>

"Hey, Senior Enchanter. How are things going in here?"

"Very well, ever since… the storage cavern incident." She smiled sheepishly, and Will grinned. About two weeks ago, Leorah had realized that the cavern had been infested with giant spiders. She had not had time to clear them out herself, and feared that making an official request would make people think she was incompetent, having been a Senior Enchanter for a very short time. Will, learning of her plight, had offered to deal with the spiders before they grew too great in numbers. Knowing that he was on the way to being a great battle mage, Leorah had accepted, promising to return the favor.

"Actually, that's what I'm here about," Will said. "I have a form that I need signed, and would be very grateful if you would." She studied the form for a moment.

"A Rod of Fire." She slowly, then smiled. "Oh, sure. What harm could it do?" She grabbed a quill from the clutter on the table and signed the paper.

"Thank you." Will said, trying not to sound too relieved as he tucked the form away. Leorah's smile grew wider.

"Think nothing of it. It was no trouble. It doesn't even really cover my debt."

'That's what you think,' Will thought, smiling as he left to go collect the Rod.

* * *

><p>When Will returned to the chapel, there was still no one else around. He quickly walked over to Lily, soon followed by Jowan.<p>

"Did you get it?" Jowan asked hopefully. Will showed the Rod briefly to them. It was a short, wand-like object that had runes carved all along it's length.

"Excellent!" Lily whispered. "Let's head for the basement."

"We shouldn't go all together." Will cautioned. "Lily and I will go first, then Jowan follows in a few minutes." Jowan was about to object, before thinking through Will's logic and realizing it was for the best.

"Thank you for what your doing, Will," Lily said quietly as they walked down the stairwell.

"William." Will shot back. "My _friends_ call me Will. Oh, and I've wanted to tell you something." He glanced at her, and she felt a flash of fear at how sharp his gaze was. "Jowan trusts you, and I didn't hear any deception in your voice. I've decided to give you a _chance_. However, if it turns out that this is a trap, and Greagoir is waiting in that chamber…" Will bared his teeth slowly. "… Jowan and I won't make it, but I _assure_ you; you will be the first to die, and your death will be as painful as I have time to make it."

(Codex: The Tranquil)

Although apprentices do not know the nature of the Harrowing, all of them understand its consequences: They either pass and become full mages, or they are never seen again. Those who fear to undertake this rite of passage, or those who are deemed weak or unstable, are given the Rite of Tranquility instead. The actual procedure, like the Harrowing, is secret, but the results are just as well known. The rite severs connection to the Fade. The Tranquil, therefore, do not dream. This removes the greatest danger that threatens a weak or unprepared mage, the potential to attract demons across the Veil. But this is the least of Tranquility's effects. For the absence of dreams brings with it the end of all magical ability, as well as all emotion. The Tranquil, ironically, resemble sleepwalkers, never entirely awake nor asleep. They are still part of our Circle, however, and some might say they are the most critical part. They have incredible powers of concentration, for it is simply impossible to distract a Tranquil mage, and this makes them capable of becoming craftsmen of such skill that they rival even the adeptness of the dwarves. The Formari, the branch of the Circle devoted to item enchantment, is made up exclusively of Tranquil, and is the source of all the wealth that sustains our towers. _-From _On Tranquility and the Role of the Fade in Human Society, _by First Enchanter Josephus._

_AN: _You'll notice that Will is incredibly protective of his friends. This will be explained later in the story. One last thing: the bit about "crying to reassure himself that he still could" came from the TV Tropes and Idioms Nightmare Fuel area.


	4. the Phylactery Chamber

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 3: The Phylactery Chamber

"Come on, this way is clear." Lily whispered as she peeked around another corner in the basement area. Jowan followed her, while Will covered their backs. Lily still had her Chantry robes on, but now wielded a pair of wicked daggers and had leather armlets in case of trouble. Jowan had somehow got his hands on an Acolyte staff, and Will had his own staff ready. They were all hoping that their weapons would not be needed, but were aware that there may be defenses in place that Lily did not know about.

"Are we almost there?" Will asked as he slid around the corner. Lily glanced back.

"It's just up ahead," she hissed back. They had silently agreed not to mention his threat again, but she was still annoyed about it.

After they had arrived on the ground floor near the entrance to the basement and Jowan joined them, she had told the two mages that she had left a small distraction for the Templar who were supposed to take over for the ones currently guarding the door. The plan had worked, the guards had gotten frustrated that their replacements had not arrived on time, and had left early. This was against protocol, but since the Templar had gone so long without an attempt to break in to the basement, they figured that it was safe to be away for a short time. The three infiltrators used this complicity to slip in.

"Here's the first door." Lily said as she came up to it. "It is called the Victim's Door, and is made up of two hundred and seventy seven planks, one for each of the original Templar of this tower." Will rolled his eyes at the name. It was clear to him who were the true victims of this tower.

"So how do we open this door? The Rod?" Jowan asked, studying it intensely. Lily shook her head.

"No, this door requires a password to prepare the way, and then needs a Harrowed mage to open it." She glanced at Will before continuing. "Fortunately, I was able to get the password from one of the Templar." She then turned back to the door, raised her hand to touch it, and whispered "_Sword of the Maker. Tears of the Fade._" There was a soft hiss from the door.

"So, now what do I do?" Will asked as he stepped forward.

"The password simply primes the ward. Now magic channeled through the ring you were given will open the door. You must do it quickly, the ward is only active for a short time." Will nodded as he raised his hand, realizing for the first time that the ring was actually a weak focus. Shaking his head, he launched several sparks from it to the door, which opened with a creak.

"Great, let's go." Jowan said as he slipped through, followed by Lily and Will, who closed the door behind them. He heard a soft click as the wards reformed. Lily took the lead again, heading towards another door at the end of a short hall.

"This is the door to the phylactery chamber," she said as they approached. This is where the Rod is needed. Please hurry!" She stepped aside, but Will didn't move. "Why are you hesitating?"

"This isn't going to work," Will said quietly. "I can't use magic here, there's some kind of anti-magic ward." To prove his point, he stepped back and launched an Arcane Bolt towards the door. It vanished as soon as it hit the point where he had stood. Jowan tried as well, but his magic failed at the invisible line as well.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized," Lily said. "Why would the Knight Commander and First Enchanter use physical keys for such an important door? Because _magic doesn't work here_!" She leaned against the wall, looking defeated. "That's it, then. We can't get in." Jowan moved to comfort her, while Will looked around.

"Where does that door lead?" he asked, pointing up another hallway. His companions glanced up, and Lily cocked her head.

"Deeper into the basement. But there's not point: there is only one entrance to the phylactery chamber."

"Who says we can't make a new one. Do you have a guess as to the dimensions of the phylactery chamber?" Will said, pulling out a piece of parchment and charcoal stick. Glancing up, he noticed the others were staring at him. "What? Were down here, we might as well try everything rather than just give up at first failure."

"You can't seriously be expecting to go around and carve a new entrance through the wall?" Jowan asked. Will grinned, then looked back at Lily.

"Any guess as to the size of the chamber?"

"I don't know!"

"Ok, we'll wing it," Will said as he drew a square on the parchment, then a cross right next to it, marking the corridors they were in. "Let's go." He then walked over to the other door, pulling out the Rod of Fire as he went. Feeling no anti-magic wards on the door, he raised the Rod and channeled his fire through it. The runes glowed furiously, and a concentrated stream of fire jetted out, burning through the reinforced lock in seconds.

Turning, he noticed that his companions were still just staring at him. "Look, you two," he sighed. "We don't have a choice. We're down here, and thus liable to get in trouble if we're caught, even if we leave right now. There is absolutely no reason to just leave. We give up; we lose by default. We push on; we may have a chance to save Jowan. Now _lets go_!" With that, he pushed open the door he had burned through and walked inside.

There were several clangs as he entered the new room. Glancing around, he saw four sets of armor stepping away from the wall and drawing their weapons. These were Sentinels, unthinking suits of armor enchanted by magic. What they lacked in intelligence they made up for with a tireless vigil and deadly strength. Will whipped out his staff, stepping to the side as Lily and Jowan entered the room, preparing their own weapons.

Will unleashed a stream of fire at the nearest Sentinel's legs, warping them so that the animated armor fell. Jowan, meanwhile, tapped the ground with the head of his staff, so that as he lifted it, a fist-sized chunk of rock came along. He then flung this stone at an approaching armor, crushing its helmet. Lily was holding her own against a third, unable to damage the armor but too fast to be hurt herself. The fourth was giving Will more trouble. Having closed the distance, it was continuously forcing him to adjust his shield. Finally, Will decided he had enough. He gripped his staff, meeting the sword head on. In the few seconds before he was overwhelmed by the superior strength of the Sentinel, he blasted an arcane bolt into the construct's helmet, disrupting the enchantment powering it, causing it to collapse. Meanwhile, Jowan had cast a Misdirection Hex on the final standing Sentinel, allowing Lily to put a knife right through its visor, destroying it.

"Whew, that was unexpected," Jowan sighed, "It looks like this will be tougher than we thought." Will nodded, frying the fallen Sentinel's helmet to finish it off. He then glanced around. It was anther corridor, which Will sketched as quickly and accurately as he could. Lily took the fore as they moved on, gently pushing open the next door. There were more Sentinels around, but they didn't seem to have noticed the intruders. Conferring quickly, Jowan and Will took aim at two of the enemies, and in a flash of fire and stone, destroyed them. The remaining three assumed aggressive stances, but were unable to defeat the mages. This process continued for a few rooms before something interesting came up.

"What is that thing?" Will hissed as a strange figure joined the next group of Sentinels. It was partially transparent, and did not appear to have a head. More worryingly, it wielded a staff instead of a sword.

"It must be some sort of mage guard," Jowan said quietly, seeing as the enemy had not yet attacked. "Can you handle it? Lily and I will keep the grunts busy."

"Leave it to me," Will growled. Lily and Jowan slipped into the room first, drawing a reaction from the guards. The magic wielding defender's staff glowed as it started to lash out, but was frozen before it could attack.

Lily met two of the four standard Sentinels, knowing that she had to keep them away from the brewing magical battle between Will and the shadowy Mage Sentinel. Jowan, meanwhile, destroyed one enemy with a Stone Fist, but was forced to dance away from the other. He was not as talented at shielding himself as Will was, and thus had to rely more on his staff to block the Sentinel's onslaught.

Will, meanwhile, was facing off against a foe that seemed to hold every advantage. It was faster with its spells and had more raw power. What it lacked, however, was the ability to think outside the proverbial box. It only knew to attack its opponent with full force, and it made a wall out of its Arcane Shield. Will, on the other hand, spread his attacks out, twisting tendrils of fire around the primary shield, forcing the Mage Sentinel to create more, and defended himself with his customary tilted barriers, which consumed far less energy. Thus, the shadow's strength failed first, and Will destroyed it with another Winter's Grasp. Almost immediately afterwards, the remaining Sentinels were finished off.

"We have to stop for a moment," Lily gasped, nursing a nasty slash along her arm. Jowan was also rubbing his wrists, that and the notches along his staff speaking of the fierce defense he had put up in his melee. Not even Will was unscathed; having let a few weak spells through his guard so as to launch stronger attacks. He ignored these, however, and pulled a small vial containing a blue liquid that seemed to glow out of a padded pouch on his belt. It was a lyrium potion. Since pure lyrium was extremely hazardous to a person's health, the potion he drank was only about forty-five percent lyrium. It was still more than enough to recover the strength he had lost during his battle with the Mage Sentinel. Jowan, meanwhile, was helping Lily wrap a poultice around her arm. Will sketched in the room they had just cleared, and then took some time to study his map.

"I think we should head that way now," he said, pointing down a new corridor. "Unless the repository is the longest room ever, we've already passed it."

"Any thoughts on how to get through the wall?" Lily asked, as the trio set off down the hall Will had suggested.

"We'll see what is around when we get there," Will said, melting another lock before pushing the door slowly open. He was immediately struck by the fact that the Sentinels, normally standing in small alcoves, were instead scattered in pieces on the floor. The room looked little better, rubble and other detritus piled up around the room. There were also splashes of what looked like blood on the floor.

"What happened here?" Jowan whispered. Will shook his head, gave a 'wait here' sign and stepped carefully into the room. Nothing happened; the enchantments on the armor had been destroyed. Will slowly moved farther in, before crouching down and using his staff to pull a helmet towards him. Its scrape seemed too loud in the silence of the room. He turned it so that it was facing him without actually touching it. The front was completely gone, as if eaten away. Will's breath caught as he looked around the room, noticing the small holes in the wall…

"Shit!" Will hissed as he sprinted back towards the door. Not a second too soon; a ball of greenish liquid shot from one of the other chest plates, flying through the space he had occupied a moment before. It ate away at the wall it hit, revealing its acidic nature. The room was suddenly alive with creatures that poured from every possible hiding place, some even seeming to appear from nowhere. These monsters only rose to Will's knee, but their appearance was fearsome enough to make up for their size. They had two legs and arms, as well as a tail longer than its body. All four limbs were tipped with vicious claws, though the biggest were on the feet. The face was something out of a nightmare, a round, lipless mouth lined with needle-like teeth, with pure black, soulless eyes on either side. The long, whip-like tail was tipped with a pair of barbs.

"DEEP STALKERS!" Jowan cried, terrified. He had good reason to be scared; deep stalkers were among the most vicious predators in Thedas. Pack hunters, they lay in ambush, their scales able to shift color to match the stone around them. When their prey was within reach, they would attack as one. No one knew whether they had some kind of bond that allowed them to decide when to attack, relied on instinct, or whether they were simply smart enough to have decided on a plan beforehand. None of these options were very comforting. When the attack began, some of the deep stalkers would spit highly corrosive acid at their prey, while others would go for the kill with their deadly claws and horrible teeth. The only weakness that these creatures had was their size, and thus lack of survivability. If the ambush failed and they were forced into a direct battle, it was not difficult for trained warriors to kill them.

Will growled as he ducked back into the hall. Acid splashed off his shield, unable to eat through the magical incarnation of his will. Jowan lashed out with a Stone Fist, crushing one of the opponents. Lily pulled a flask filled with a light blue liquid out of her robes and threw it into a group of deep stalkers. The flask shattered, and the liquid splashed out. Everything it touched was suddenly covered in ice and their heat sapped out. Five deep stalkers fell to this icy grenade.

Meanwhile, the remaining seven had rushed in under Will's defenses, and proceeded to attack. Will desperately smacked one away with his staff, but was unable to stop another one from slashing him across the leg and then gripping his arm and biting hard. Jowan was able to hex one of his attackers, causing it to miss its attacks, but two others knocked him over, and started trying to tear his throat out. Lily killed another, but was hit by acid from the final spitter. It then jumped towards her, ready to finish off its weakened foe.

Just when the situation looked hopeless, Will marshaled his strength and slammed his staff into the flagstone. A wave of pure telekinetic force emanated from the point of impact, washing over everything in the vicinity. Jowan and Lily were not affected by this much, but the smaller, lighter deep stalkers were tossed away like rag dolls. Letting loose a furious cry, Will then spun his staff over his head, lashing out with waves of barely controlled white hot fire. It narrowly avoided Lily and Jowan and incinerated the remaining deep stalkers, which screeched in pain as they died.

Silence fell once more, save for the panting of the barely victorious trio. Will slumped to the floor, exhausted from his desperate outpour of energy. Jowan lay back, closing his eyes while his hands bled from stopping the monsters from tearing his throat open. Lily hissed in pain as she pulled out a med-kit and pouring the contents of one of the vials over the acid burn she had sustained.

"Void take it all, what were deep stalkers doing here?" Jowan gasped out, sitting up slowly.

"Well, this is the kind of area they like to live in," Will answered, taking another sip of lyrium. "Especially if they tunneled in from lower caverns." He groaned, before reaching into his lyrium-boosted strength to attempt a spell he had always had trouble with.

"_Sacred winds of the Fade, come forth and aid your wounded child.__** Heal**__!_" Will whispered, using the aria to boost and shape his magic. A bright blue light settled over the place on his arm where his flesh had been ripped off when the deep stalker was thrown away by his telekinesis. He took a moment to check his work: most of the bleeding had stopped, but the flesh still looked damaged. Shaking his head in frustration at his inability to properly execute a simple Heal spell, Will grabbed a poultice, wrapping it around his arm. Jowan was also wrapping a bandage around his hands, but Lily was having trouble. The lingering acid on her wound was still burning, preventing any healing from taking place. Will sighed, and repeated his Heal. Again, it only partially worked, but it was able to get rid of the acid, and Lily's normal healing gel finally held.

"The Sentinels must have attacked the deep stalkers, and were destroyed," Lily said, helping Jowan to his feet. "The blood already in the room was the ones they killed." She smiled wryly. "Probably saved our lives, a few more of those things would have overwhelmed us." Will nodded, pulling out his map and studying it for a few moments.

"We should be almost there, just another two or three rooms. Hopefully, the deep stalkers only had time to infest this one room." With that cheerful thought, the group continued on.

It turned out that the group of deep stalkers that they had just killed was indeed the only group, because the next room contained only the Sentinels, along with another Mage Sentinel. Jowan volunteered to keep the more dangerous foe busy while Will and Lily destroyed the grunts. Then, they flanked the shadowy spell caster and were able to annihilate it. The next room, however, yielded something new.

"What is this place, Lily?" Will asked as they entered the high-domed room. It was filled with all kinds of things, closets and chests held strange, rune covered objects, and there were several statues scattered around.

"I… don't know," she answered. "Remember, I'm just an initiate, they haven't told me a lot about what is down here." Will nodded, before glancing at his map again.

"I'm pretty sure we are where we need to be. We should probably check this room to see if there is any way to get to the phylactery chamber."

Jowan, meanwhile, had wandered a short distance away, and was studying one of the statues. Made of pure black rock, it was in the shaped of a human, possibly female, and held a spear. It was devoid of a proper face, though it had the proper shape.

"Hey, come take a look at this," he called. "There's something about it, something I can't put my finger on."

"We should be focusing on finding a way to the phylactery chamber, not the random stuff kept…" Will started as he and Lily came over, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Greetings, young ones." The voice was feminine, and spoke very calmly. The same could not be said for those who heard it, however.

"Maker's Breath!" Jowan cried, jumping back. "Did it just speak?"

"Indeed I did," the statue replied. "Though I be made of stone now, this was not always so. Once, I was Eleni Zinovia, consort and advisor to Archon Valerius of the Tevinter Imperium."

"A Tevinter statue!" Lily gasped in horror. "Don't listen to it! Back away before it corrupts you!"

"You would not be the first to ignore my words. In the final days of my life, I had a premonition that my lord's rule would end and his house fall. Driven to rage by my words, he cursed me, resulting in the form you now see. I was placed in front of his fortress, 'so that I may tell my lies to all who passed'. However, my prophecy came to pass, and my lord was destroyed by his enemies." The statue continued, its tone never changing. "I sense that you have come here for a purpose, young Elvhenan. Please, tell me what it is." Will stayed silent for a moment, studying the statue.

"I come to save my friend from a fate comparable to your own," he answered finally. "I must ask something of you. Just beyond that wall, there is another room, which holds the key to his salvation. Do you know any way we can enter it?"

"Hm." Eleni's statue said. "I see shadows, flitting through my mind. Destiny comes soon, sooner than you might realize. As for your question: study the wall behind the bookcase in the center of the barrier you seek to overcome, you will find your answer there." Then, her voice softened, "Weep not for me, child. Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And thus shall I endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again. But all is as it should be. May we meet again." With that, the statue fell silent.

"Well, that was incredibly weird," Jowan said, still watching the statue nervously. Will shrugged, before heading towards the bookcase the statue had pointed out.

"Are you actually going to trust that relic of the Imperium?" Lily asked.

"No reason not to. It didn't ask for anything in return, and had no reason to lie to us. No harm in taking a look." Will tried to push the bookcase, but it was too heavy for him. "Hey, Jowan, come give me a hand with this, will you?" Jowan jumped slightly, before hurrying over to help his friend. After about a minute, they were able to get it out of the way. Will looked at the wall for a moment, before smiling. "Bingo."

"What is it, Will?" Jowan asked. "All I see is another wall."

"Look again, what's different about this particular wall than, say, that one over there?" Will asked. Jowan looked between the two for a moment, as realization dawned oh his face. He then looked at the door that they had just come through, noting the arch, and how an identical one seemed to be implanted in the wall in front of them.

"There was a door here, and they walled it off so they wouldn't have to put anti-magic wards in two places," Will confirmed. "Now all we have to do is break through this weaker wall and go the phylactery chamber."

"I think I know how to get through," Lily called from one of the other walls. She was standing beside a small gargoyle statue, which was covered in runes.

"A focus statue?" Will asked, examining it more closely. "Yes, this would work. Use it to empower the rod of fire, blast through the wall. Let's move it right here..."

* * *

><p>With a crash, the burned blocks toppled under the stream of fire. Will wiped the sweat off his brow, he had been using the Rod for almost five minutes, allowing the statue to amplify its power into a raging stream beyond any mage not willing to kill themselves by the strain. He moved forward slowly, glancing through the newly re-opened doorway. A short flight of stairs lead into a dark room. He studied his map one more time.<p>

"This should be it," he said as Lily and Jowan returned from their scavenging. The three moved forward, waiting for the inevitable final defense the Chantry would have placed to protect their precious phylacteries. They entered the chamber itself, and heard a series of clanks. No fewer than_ nine_ Sentinels stepped out from various niches along the wall, but one stood out. Almost a head taller than the others, its armor was decorated, and it carried a larger sword and shield.

"I really hope you found something interesting to get rid of these guys," Will said quietly as the foes formed up, lead by the larger Command Sentinel. Lily nodded, pulling out a pair of flasks that were filled with a bubbling green liquid. She threw these new grenades into the opponents' ranks, the acid boiling away at the legs and lower torso of several of the Sentinels. Three fell, badly damaged but still functional. The remaining six continued forward. One fell to a rock smashing its helmet in; another to a wave of fire burned its rune. The main target, however, was untouched by the magical flame.

"Damn, it has anti-magic armor." Jowan hissed, drawing the tip of his staff fiercely across the ground before him. The flagstones rose beneath the feet of the three normal sentinels, knocking them over, the commander was able to steady itself, and smashed its shield into Lily, throwing her back. Jowan tossed another Stone Fist into the commander, denting its armor and forcing it back a step. This gave Lily time to get back to her feet, both knives ready for battle. Will, however, focused on the three ordinary Sentinels, which were getting back to their feet. Three, precise streams of fire lashed out from his staff, boiling the faceplates of the opponents, disrupting their enchantments. He then turned, moving to aid Lily and Jowan who were having trouble dealing with the commander. They were unable to directly destroy or impede it with magic, and it was too talented for Lily to get close enough to kill it.

"Back off a little, then circle around. I'll keep it busy." Will shouted, bringing up an Arcane Shield. Lily and Jowan both retreated quickly, and after a moment the commander turned its attention to Will, who quickly started moving his shield to redirect the slashes of the sword. Both Jowan and Lily started circling, trying to find an opening, Jowan attempted to land a Stone Fist on the back of its skull, but the Sentinel somehow sensed the attack, and Will was grateful it was taller than he was, or his head would have been smashed in.

It was Lily, however, who finally finished the enemy off. After it launched a particularly vicious attack, leaving its back completely open, she ran forward and jumped onto its back, ramming her blade into its faceplate. It desperately tried to shake her off, but was foiled as Will blocked its sword long enough for Lily to destroy the runes powering it, causing it to collapse into a useless heap of armor.

"That's it, we're in!" Jowan cried joyfully, quickly destroying the previously knocked down opponents. Will looked around, noting the staircase leading to a center island. When they reached the top, they saw several large racks, filled with vials. Each vial had a strip of paper with names wrapped around it. "Mine has to be here somewhere, lets look for it, quickly."

"It's over here, Jowan," Lily called, lifting one of the vials from the rack. Indeed, the paper around it read 'Jowan Rolfe'.

"My phylactery!" Jowan whispered, almost reverently taking it. "The only thing standing between me and freedom. It's so small, so fragile…" and with that, he dropped it. Blood soaked the ground at his feet, and the small crash of broken glass seemed to echo throughout the room. "And now I'm free."

"So, what now, Jowan." Will asked quietly, nudging his friend back a few steps with his staff before bathing the blood on the ground in flames, so as to destroy any trace of it.

"Lily and I were planning to leave together, make a new life for ourselves far away from here." Jowan said happily, moving to stand beside her. "Won't you come with us? At least for a while?"

"No, I'm staying," Will said quietly, leaning back against the railing. "I'll try to keep the Templar busy, give you two a head start."

"What do you mean? They'll kill you!" Lily cried, and Jowan's jaw dropped.

Will smiled sadly. "I was dead the second I started along this with you two. The storeroom records show I have a Rod of Fire, the tool used to burn through the locks. It's only a matter of time before they figure out what happened. If I am with you, for any length of time, it's possible my phylactery could be used to find us. I'm staying." 'Maybe I'll get a chance to take one or two of them with me,' Will thought grimly, two faces drifting through his mind.

"Oh, Will, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have…"

"Gotten me involved in all this? Please, you wouldn't have made it through the first door without me. Do you think I _want_ to see your mindless shell of a body wandering around the tower?" Will interrupted, shaking his head. "So long as you make it out of here in one piece, my death will not be in vain. I'm glad I can help my friend." Will turned, walking towards the door that they couldn't enter through. "Let's go, you two, It's over."

The trio walked in silence, exiting the Victim's Door, and walking back up the stairs to the main floor of the tower.

"Please, are you sure you won't…" Lily asked, as they entered the Tower proper. She was interrupted by a firm voice.

"So what you said was true, Irving," Knight Commander Greagoir said, striding forward, followed by the First Enchanter and a trio of Templar. Will's eyes widened, then narrowed again as he looked at Lily.

'Should have known the Chantry had brainwashed her too well for this to work,' he though, readying himself to fulfill the promise he had made to her on the way down. He paused, however, when he saw the real shock and fear on her face.

"G...Greagoir?" she whispered. The Knight Commander shook his head.

"An initiate, conspiring with a blood mage. I'm disappointed." He stepped forward, studying her face. "She seems shocked, but fully in control of her own mind. Not a thrall of the blood mage, then. You were right, Irving. The initiate has betrayed us." Greagoir paused, and then turned towards Will. "And _this one_," he spat. "It seems even Harrowed mages are not safe from corruption."

"I am disappointed, child," Irving said quietly. "You should have come to me about what Jowan was planning." Will's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Oh, I'm _so sorry_," he hissed sarcastically. "You see, some of us are adverse to the idea of _stabbing our friends in the back_!"

"You don't care about the mages!" Jowan added fiercely. "You just bow to the Chantery's every whim!"

"ENOUGH!" Greagoir shouted, holding up his hands. "For your crimes, maleficar, I sentence you to death. And you, who has betrayed the Chantry, you shall go to Aeonar."

Will's breath caught at that statement. Aeonar was the place where mages who were considered too dangerous too teach were imprisoned. To put a member of the Chantry there, she would be dead within a week, if she was lucky. As the templar moved forward to grab her, he realized he had to decide whether to help her.

Jowan made his decision first. "NO! I won't let you touch her!" he cried, pushing himself in front of her, pulling a knife from his belt, and stabbing his hand.

'No, no this can't be!' Will thought in horror. Jowan had told him he wasn't a blood mage. He couldn't be, the knife had just slipped…

This desperate train of thought was halted when the blood rose around Jowan in a sickly red mist, before lashing out against Irving and the Templar, whose defense was far to late. All five were knocked out instantly.

"By the Maker… blood magic?" Lily gasped in horror, slowly backing away from Jowan as he turned to her. "How could you? You said you never…"

"I admit, I… I dabbled!" Jowan said, reaching for Lily, who backed farther away. "I thought that it would make me a better mage!"

She shook her head violently "Blood magic is evil, Jowan. It corrupts people, changes them."

"I'm going to give it up! All magic!" Jowan cried desperately. "I just want to be with you, Lily. Please, come with me…"

"I trusted you," Lily whispered, tears pouring down her face. "I was ready to sacrifice everything for you, but now… I don't even know who you are, _blood mage_. Get away from me." With that, she turned to face the wall, refusing to look at Jowan. He looked over at Will, who hadn't moved since Jowan's revelation

'He lied to me…' Will was whispering to himself, trying and failing to wrap his mind around the concept. He and Jowan had been best friends, brothers in all but blood, and Jowan had _lied_ to him, hadn't trusted him. How could he? Will moved, mechanically, towards First Enchanter Irving to see if he was all right. Jowan took a step towards Will, but after getting no reaction, turned and fled.

* * *

><p>Irving's eyes slowly opened, and he tried to push himself to his feet. He glanced quickly around, trying to find Jowan, but couldn't see him. He did, however, see William, crouching next to him. Their eyes met, and Irving was shocked by how… dead they looked. Mere moments ago, they had been filled with fire, determined to stand up for his misguided beliefs. Now, now he looked empty.<p>

"Are you all right? Where's Greagoir?" There was no response, other than his lips moving soundlessly. It seemed like he didn't even recognize Irving had spoken.

"I knew it!" Greagoir hissed, standing unsteadily. "Blood magic. But to have defeated so many… I never thought him capable of such power."

"He lied to me," William whispered, seeming unable to believe his own words. Irving, who was finally able to get up, realized the source of his horror. William was fiercely loyal to friends, and thus expected them to be loyal to him.

"None of us expected this." Irving said quietly, "Are you all right, Greagoir?"

"As good as can be expected, given the circumstances!" Greagoir shouted furiously. "If you had let me act sooner, this would not have happened!" Irving nodded slowly. He had wanted to ensure that the initiate's role in this mess was not swept under the rug, but now realized he had underestimated Jowan's power. "Now we have a blood mage on the loose and no way to track him down!" Greagoir turned furiously, "Where is the girl?"

"I am here, sir," the initiate said quietly, hanging her head. Irving was slightly surprised that she had not left with Jowan, and did feel some respect for her willingness to say and own up to what she had done.

"You helped a blood mage!" Greagoir shouted, striding furiously towards her.

"Wasn't her fault…" A quiet voice said, and Irving realized that William was starting to come out of his shock. Greagoir either didn't hear, or chose to ignore the comment.

"Knight Commander… I… I was wrong," the initiate said, taking a few steps forward. "I was accomplice to a… a blood mage." She finally looked up. "I will accept whatever punishment you see fit. Even… even Aeonar."

"Get her out of my sight!" Greagoir snapped at the two templar who had been able to stand. One moved forward, pulling the initiate away, while the other went to his fallen comrade and started checking on him. With that, Greagoir turned back to William and Irving.

"And you." He hissed, stomping over to William. "You are no less to blame for what has happened! Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Jowan was my friend," William said slowly, strength and life returning to his voice. "When I made my decision, I was protecting a friend from being murdered without trial." His eyes blazed as he continued "And I stand by that decision. Kill me if you want, but I die knowing that I did not simply bow my head and follow like livestock!" Irving shook his head sadly, of course William would be defiant to the end, wouldn't he?

"You helped a blood mage escape!" Greagoir shouted, aggressively stepping forward. William did not back down, simply glaring back at the Knight Commander. "All our preventative measures for naught, because of you!"

"Knight Commander," someone called from the door, and Irving was surprised to see Duncan coming towards them. "May I say something?"

"Stay out of this, _Warden_ Commander," Greagoir hissed, turning to Duncan. "This is none of your concern!"

"Actually, I believe it is," Duncan countered quietly. "You see, I did not come here only for mages to join the king's army. I also came seeking a recruit for the Grey Wardens." Irving's eyes widened at the implication of this, surely Duncan couldn't be considering… "Irving spoke highly of this mage, and I would like to recruit him."

"Duncan, this mage has assisted a maleficar" Irving said quietly, "This is not something that can be so easily forgotten. When I said those things, I never imagined what he would use his talents to do."

"Perhaps, but his virtues outweigh his faults." He gestured towards William. "The Grey Warden creed states: 'In peace, vigilance. In war, victory. In death, sacrifice.' William Surana exemplifies all these things. He is perceptive and intelligent, you yourself told me that. He is also skilled in battle, as he proved by defeating whatever defenses were down there. And he stands here, ready to die for what he believes is right, buying time for his friend." Greagoir jerked at that last comment, and gestured for the two templar in the room to pursue Jowan, a futile effort, the maleficar must be long gone at this point. "I will recruit this mage."

"NO!" Greagoir shouted, his hand straying towards the sword at his side. "This mage is a danger to all of us. I will not let him escape unpunished! You have no authority here, Duncan!"

"Actually, I do, Knight Commander" Duncan said calmly. "I herby invoke the Right of Conscription. This mage is now a member of the Grey Wardens." Greagoir's mouth opened furiously, but Irving realized there was nothing left to say.

"This is his right, Greagoir" Irving said quietly. Greagoir's face turned red, and for a moment, Irving thought that he would order Duncan and William arrested anyways. However, he turned and stormed off, muttering mutinously under his breath.

"What now, sir?" William asked Duncan quietly.

"Now, we go to Ostagar, where the king's army is camped. There, you shall be initiated. I'll explain more later, away from prying ears." Duncan took a step back, gesturing towards the door. "If there is anything you need from the tower, get it now."

"No need." William said quietly. "There's nothing here I'll ever need." Duncan nodded, and turned to lead William out of the Tower. As the two headed for the exit, Irving felt a stab of regret. William had been his star pupil, possibly the best mage of his generation. He had had a great future here. It shouldn't end like this.

"William" he called, not sure what he would say even if the child did turn around, perhaps just wanting to see his face one more time. But the boy did not turn, and Irving was forced to watch him walk away.

(Codex: Blood Magic)

_Foul and corrupt are you_

_Who have taken My gift_

_And turned it against_

_My children._ _-Transfigurations_ 18:10.

The ancient Tevinters did not originally consider blood magic a school of its own. Rather, they saw it as a means to achieve greater power in any school of magic. The name, of course, refers to the fact that magic of this type uses life, specifically in the form of blood, instead of mana. It was common practice, at one time, for a magister to keep a number of slaves on hand so that, should he undertake the working of a spell that was physically beyond his abilities, he could use the blood of his slaves to bolster the casting. Over time, however, the Imperium discovered types of spells that could only be worked by blood. Although lyrium will allow a mage to send his conscious mind into the Fade, blood would allow him to find the sleeping minds of others, view their dreams, and even influence or dominate their thoughts. Just as treacherous, blood magic allows the Veil to be opened completely so that demons may physically pass through it into our world. The rise of the Chant of Light and the subsequent fall of the old Imperium has led to blood magic being all but stamped out-as it should be, for it poses nearly as great a danger to those who would practice it as to the world at large. _-From_ The Four Schools: A Treatise, _by First Enchanter Josephus._

_AN_: On to Ostagar! Please review.


	5. Past, Present, and Future

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 4: Past, Present, and Future

Duncan sat, studying the soup that was bubbling slightly over the fire. All Grey Wardens learned basic outdoor cooking, and soup was one of the most common meals because it was easy to make and had a lot of nutritional value. It also gave the maker time to think; especially if they had done it so many times before that the process became automatic. Thinking was what Duncan was doing right now, considering the new Warden recruit he had conscripted at the Circle Tower.

Duncan glanced up, studying William Surana. Most recruits were taken in their mid-to-late twenties, but at first glance William didn't look to be a day over nineteen. This was deceptive, of course. Elves always looked younger than they were, probably a holdover from the days that they were immortal. However, it was his eyes that stuck out. They, different from the face around them, looked far too old. That made sense; William had barely escaped the mess at Kinloch with his life, and he was smart enough to realize that.

'No,' Duncan thought, carefully pulling the pot off the fire and setting it aside to cool for a moment. 'There is more too it than that.' William's eyes had seemed too old from the moment he had first seen them, the young elf had just been better at hiding it at the time. Duncan supposed that he shouldn't be surprised; he had seen a similar look during his time with Fiona, an Orlesian mage who he had worked with when he was younger. Duncan had never entirely believed the Chantry's propaganda about magic; true, it could be dangerous if misused, but so could a sword, and there were far greater threats in the world than mages.

"William," Duncan called, pouring the soup into two smaller bowls. The young man glanced up, letting the small sphere of flame he had been cradling die as he stood and came over to Duncan's fire. He thanked Duncan quietly as he took the bowl of soup. The silence extended for a moment before Duncan broke it.

"What were you doing over there?" he asked, referring to the fire. William glanced up, and it took him a moment before he realized what Duncan had meant.

"Oh, this?" he asked, recreating a ball of fire for a moment. Duncan nodded. "It's a magical exercise. It is designed to teach apprentices how to completely control their magic. I find it… calming. I have to focus so much on what I'm doing that I don't have space in my mind to think."

"I was under the impression that creating magical fire was relatively easy," Duncan said. Part of his interest was, in fact, curiosity. However, he also wanted to get a better feel for how William thought.

"Creating, yes," William answered. "Controlling, especially for long periods of time, is more difficult." He glanced up, studying Duncan. "Why do you ask?"

"It is my duty as Warden Commander to understand the people under my command," Duncan said. "This is especially important for recruits who have had… traumatic backgrounds."

"How does learning about a Circle exercise help you understand me, sir?" William asked.

"It's not so much the exercise itself as how you use it," Duncan answered. "You seem to know a great deal about this particular exercise, indicating that you have been using as a calming exercise for quite a while. This, along with your pointed comments to the First Enchanter, make me suspect that there is something that happened at the tower that continues to affect you." William's eyes widened as Duncan continued, "And, judging from the fact that Irving didn't mention anything to me, you haven't talked about whatever happened to anyone." Duncan paused, giving William a chance to respond. When he didn't, Duncan continued. "Please understand, William, now that you have joined the Grey Wardens, you must leave behind not only your previous attachments, but also your previous prejudices and quarrels. As a Grey Warden, you will be expected to work alongside many different people, even those who may have wronged you in the past. You _cannot_ let your personal feelings get in the way of your duty, which is to defeat the Darkspawn and the Blight. Do you understand?" William nodded, perhaps slightly sullenly. Duncan let his voice softenen, he had made his point. "I know it's hard, William. After all, we are still mortal. Hopefully no situation arises that you will really need what I am telling you. Also, know that if you want to talk about your problems, myself and the other Grey Wardens are willing to listen. Please do not hesitate to come to us."

William studied Duncan for a moment, before nodding again. "I'll consider what you said, sir." Duncan smiled slightly; not the best response he could have gotten, but much better than the usual one.

"Good, and please, just call me Duncan."

"But, you're my superior. I could understand when I was still a Circle mage, you had no authority over me at that point, but now I follow your orders."

"That is true, but I have always preferred not to be called sir. It makes me feel old." William raised an eyebrow slightly, but smiled and agreed. They ate in silence for a few minutes, before William asked something he had probably been wondering for a while.

"Duncan, didn't you say that Ostagar was where the Darkspawn were attacking?" Duncan nodded.

"Yes, but we have to pick something up from Denerim before we go. It won't take long, and the fighting has not yet begun at Ostagar. That being said, we should not dawdle, either."

"What are we picking up?" Duncan shook his head slightly.

"Just something for your Joining. I'm afraid I cannot reveal what it is just yet." William opened his mouth, but Duncan interrupted. "Nor can I explain what the Joining is. You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

><p>'It's been so long since I was here,' Will thought to himself as he and Duncan entered Denerim. This city had been his home when he was young, before his magic was discovered and he was taken to the Tower. Duncan lead the way through the crowded market, ignoring the many cries of merchants hawking their wears, and the babble of shoppers moving between stalls, considering items, and haggling with the shopkeepers. Will followed closely behind, keeping an eye out for the pickpockets he knew haunted the area. Duncan slipped quietly into an alley, and made a few turns before arriving at an old warehouse. He turned to Will.<p>

"Stay here for the moment. I'll be out before too long." With that, he entered the warehouse. Will, meanwhile, leaned back against the wall, thinking.

"Hey, knife-ears!" called a sneering voice, "What are you doing out of your dump." Will glanced up, narrowing his eyes at the sight of three human men approaching from another alley. All three looked rough, none were carrying large weapons, but probably had knives stashed away. No armor, just dirty clothes. If it came to a fight, Will knew he could kill all three in seconds and not take a scratch in return.

"Yeah," another of the men snickered, approaching Will, "This here alley is too good for the likes of you." Will raised his eyebrow. His mage robes, though dusty from his time traveling, was still far cleaner than these ruffians' rags. The three had formed a half circle, and the man in front was invading Will's personal space.

"Gentlemen," Will said sardonically, keeping his arms folded. "I would not recommend annoying me. In case your tiny brains can't put together the meaning of my robes and my staff, I feel I must inform you that I am a mage, and thus infinitely more dangerous than all three of you put together."

The first man snorted, though Will noticed a spark of fear in his eyes. "Even if you are one of those freaks, we still have you cornered. Now I recommend that you apologize to your betters and get back to your Alienage before we lose our tempers." Will rolled his eyes, Maker these people were stupid.

"I would be happy to apologize to my betters if they were here." Will said. He knew he probably shouldn't be antagonizing these men, that Duncan wouldn't want him to. But these bastards reminded him of…

'No, don't think about that,' he growled mentally as anger started pooling in his gut. 'You start thinking about that and you'll kill them, no mater the consequences.' The three thugs snarled and one reached for a pocket.

"Is there a problem, here?" Duncan said as he exited the warehouse. The three started, stareing at the armed and armored man that had suddenly appeared. Will, meanwhile, was carefully watching the man who was undoubtedly gripping a weapon in his pocket, ready to fry him at the first sign of trouble.

"No problem, sir," one of the men said. "This little knife-ears was just giving us some lip. We'll deal with him."

"I think not," Duncan said coldly. "You see, I am a Grey Warden, and this is my recruit. Leave. Now."

Two of the ruffians seemed inclined to follow Duncan's instructions. The third, however, because of either stupidity or a misguided belief in his own superiority, stayed put. "I feel sorry for you Grey Wardens if a runty knife-ears is the best you can get. I'd be doing you a favor if I killed _it_."

Will had had enough. With a hiss of rage, he slammed his fists together, throwing all three men telekinetically away from him. The two "smart" ones got the message, and fled. The third let out a roar of rage and sprang to his feet, drawing a knife. Will raised his hands, fire licking at his fingers.

"Come one step nearer, and I _swear_ I'll kill you, you son of a bitch." Will growled furiously. The man looked like he was seriously considering doing just that, so Will hit the ground in front of him with a wave of flame. The man decided his life was worth more than his pride, and followed his friends.

"Let's go, William." Duncan said quietly, leading Will away from where the humans had gone. They walked in silence for a time, in case the three decided to ambush them. Eventually, however, Duncan spoke. "I feel there's a story behind your actions. Would you like to talk about it? Why you were so angry at those men."

"…Sure. It has to do with how I was sent to the Circle…"

_Flashback: 14 years ago_

_Will, seven years old, slipped silently through the back alleys near the Alienage. He looked slowly around, as if searching for something, or perhaps someone._

_"Got you!" a girl squealed from behind him, and he was tackled to the ground. He struggled for a moment, but found he couldn't get away without hurting the person holding him._

_"Ok, you win Kallian." He groaned, and she rolled off of him. He looked over at his cousin, a cute six year old. He dusted himself off as she giggled._

_"How many times have I won again?" she asked sweetly, Will tried to glare at her, but started chuckling._

_"I lost count too. I blame your mother." Adaia Tabris was Kallian's mother and Will's aunt. She was a talented rouge, and she seemed determined to teach Kallain to be the same._

_"Well, well. What do we have here?" a cold adult voice said. Both Will and Kallain turned, spotting a group of humans standing casually around. Will slowly pushed Kallain behind him, never letting his eyes leave the smirking human leading the group. "It looks like a couple of rats have wandered out of their hole." He turned slightly, grinning to his comrades. "What do you boys say? Up for a bit of sport?"_

_"Run!" Will hissed, and Kallain nodded, taking off back down the alley. They heard the sound of the humans giving chase. Will and Kallain knew these back streets well, having played tag quiet often. However, their short legs simply could not match those of the fully-grown humans. Will desperately pushed forward, hoping against hope that some miracle would save them._

_There was a flash of flying metal, and one of the hunters fell, a throwing knife sticking out of his leg. At the end of the alley stood Adaia, fury etched into every line of her face. Drawing her large combat knives, she advanced._

_"GET AWAY FROM THOSE CHILDREN YOU SHEM BASTARDS!" she yelled, driving the humans back with sheer force of will. Will and Kallain quickly took refuge behind her._

_"What's going on here?" a voice called. Everyone turned to look at a city guard coming up the alley._

_"This knife-ears was trying to rob us, sir," the leader of the human thugs called quickly, attempting to sound frightened._

_"And why, may I ask, would I be robbing people with _children_ in tow?" Adaia asked sarcastically, but she did lower her weapons. The guard continued forward._

_"Put those weapons away," he commanded, and Adaia silently complied, taking a step closer. "Get over here, I'm afraid I'll have to take you in."_

_"What about them?" Adaia asked furiously. "Are they coming too?" She took another aggressive step forward, but suddenly stopped, gasping in pain. Her step had taken her too close to the leader of the human thugs, who had taken the opportunity to whip out a knife and stab her._

_"_MOMMY_!" Kallain wailed, rushing forward to her mother. Will could only stared, no… no this couldn't be happening. He heard raised voices, but attached no meaning to them. He felt cold and hot. And there, building up inside him, was a force he could not name at the time, but would later understand._

_Hate._

_"MAKER DAMN YOU ALL!" he screamed, and suddenly, an aura of fire rose up around him scoarching the walls._

_"What the fu… MAGE!" one of the men shouted, backing away. Will walked menacingly forward, his flames lashing out at anyone who approached his cousin and aunt. He heard screams of pain, which was good. These evil people should _suffer_, for taking his aunt from him!_

_However, Will simply didn't have the stamina to keep the fire going. Before long, his sight started to dim. He fell slowly to his knees, still trying to strike out at the humans, but not having the strength. He watched the murderers flee, his cousin shake Adaia's body, and the guard, slowly picking himself up from the opposite wall. He glanced around, noticing what had happened, and then walked over to crouch beside Will._

_"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, kid," he whispered. "I was trying to get you all away from them safely. I never thought this would happen. I'll take you to people who will look after you, and I'll make sure your sister and mom get back to the Alienage safely." He lifted Will up as the boy slipped into unconsciousness._

_Current day_

"… after that, I woke up at the Chantry. The templar took me away to Kinloch the next day." Will finished. He and Duncan had left the city, and were heading south on the old Imperial Highway to Ostagar. Duncan was silent for a moment.

"Are you sure of your aunt's name?" he asked. Will nodded, and Duncan sighed. "I tried to recruit Adaia once, but the elder convinced me not to. I am saddened to learn of her death. She was a good woman." He glanced at Will. "You showed surprising restrain in not killing those men back there. Well done." With that, they continued on in silence.

* * *

><p>A little under a week later, Duncan and Will had reached Ostagar. An imposing yet crumbling fortress, Ostagar rose up from the trees of the Korcari Wilds. Duncan had given Will some of its history, and Will remembered more from his history class at the Circle. The Tevinter Empire had originally built Ostagar, as was clear by the massive Tower of Ishal at the heart of the fortress. It had been a site of almost constant battle, as Imperial troops fought to keep the Wilders of Korcari out of Ferelden, a provence of the Empire. It had been abandoned after the Imperium was driven out, and had fallen into disrepair. Still, it was the strongest fortification in the area, which was why the King's army was stationed here in their attempt to drive the Darkspawn back. As Duncan led the way over the bridge, he and Will noticed a gold armored figure almost trotting towards them, followed by a few knights.<p>

"Duncan!" the man called joyfully. He sounded young, and as he got closer, Will noticed his long, blond hair, as well as the crest on his armor. This must be King Cailan. Will was a bit surprised at the king's bubbly personality.

"King Cailan?" Duncan asked, sounding a bit surprised himself. King Cailan held out his hand as he came closer, and Duncan shook it. "I wasn't expecting…"

"A royal welcome?" Cailan asked cheerfully, cocking his head slightly. "I was beginning to worry you would miss all the fun."

"Not if I could help it, your Majesty." Was it just Will, or did Duncan sound almost… wary, as he said those words?

Cailan grinned again. "Then I will have the mighty Duncan at my side after all! Glorious." Glancing around, he seemed to notice Will for the first time. "And who is this, Duncan?"

"This is William Surana, a mage from the Circle. I recruited him to be a Grey Warden." Cailan's grin, which had drooped slightly, came back full force when he heard those words.

"Excellent, the Grey Wardens need every recruit that they can get, especially a powerful mage like you."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, your Majesty," Will said bowing slightly.

"Your Majesty," Duncan said, getting Cailan's attention back. "Your uncle sends word that Redcliffe's troops can still get here, if they are needed."

"Hah! Eamon just wants in on the glory," Cailan scoffed. "We've won several battles against these monsters already, and the next shall be no different."

Will glanced at Duncan, who was looking troubled. "Your Majesty… I do not believe that the Blight can be defeated so easily…"

"I'm not sure this is even a real Blight," Cailan said, turning to look out at the Wilds. "There have been plenty of Darkspawn on the field, but alas, no sign of the Archdemon."

"Disappointed, your Majesty?" Duncan asked quietly. Will rolled his eyes.

"I was hoping for something like the legends! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens, vanquishing evil! But I suppose this will have to do." The king turned back to Duncan and Will, still grinning. "I'm afraid I must go before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens." With a wave, King Cailan turned and headed back into the fortress.

"The king speaks the truth when he says that there have been victories on our side." Duncan said quietly, glancing at Will. They had met a messenger just yesterday.

"Yet… you appear worried." Will responded. Duncan gestured that they should head into Ostagar as well, and the two continued on. Will noticed the way up to the tower was gated, and wondered what that was about. But he had to abandon that line of thought as Duncan continued.

"I worry because I sense that the Drakspawn horde is growing larger, rather than smaller. There are casualties in every battle, but they can replenish those numbers faster than we can." He sighed. "I know there is an archdemon behind all this, but I am among the minority in that belief."

"Why? The king seems to regard the Grey Wardens highly, and even I know that the Wardens are the experts on Darkspawn. Fighting them is what the order has dedicated itself to," Will asked, confused.

"What you say is true, but the Wardens have always been… secretive," Duncan responded. "And King Cailan's trust goes only so far. We must be ready for any possibility." He turned back to Will. "To that end, we should proceed with the Joining ritual without delay." Will had asked several times what this "Joining" was, but Duncan had always responded with some variation of "You'll see."

"What must I do?"

"There are three people you must find. Sir Jory and Davith are the two other recruits I found, and Alistair is the Warden who will be overseeing the preparation. Tell them to come to my fire, near the center of this portion of the camp." With that, Duncan walked across the main wall, towards the camp. Will watched him leave, before glancing out at the Wilds, wondering what Duncan would have him do.

'Look on the bright side,' he thought as he followed Duncan across the bridge. 'Whatever this Joining is, it can't be worse than the Harrowing. Nicer name, too.'

As Will entered the camp, he was surprised by just how _loud_ it was. He heard dogs barking somewhere, metal clashing, and the constant drone of voices over all this. Looking around, he realized that he had no idea what any of the people he was supposed to find looked like. Wandering farther in, he was just about to ask someone when he heard his name.

"William." The voice was quiet, but firm. Turning, Will already knew who it was.

"Hello, Senior Enchanter Wynne," he said to the woman standing before him. Though her white hair and lined face screamed _old_, she had a sense of energy around her. Her robes were impeccable, contrasting with the dirty camp around them, Will had never figured out how she was able to keep her clothes so clean, even at the tower his robes had seemed to attract grim, soot, and various other imperfections. Her face, however, was lacking its normal warmth.

"I heard what happened at the Tower." She shook her head slightly. "I just want you to know that I understand why you did it, even if I don't agree." She sighed, leaning back against a nearby pillar. "I just wish you had gone to Irving. He would have told you that Jowan was, in fact, a blood mage."

"Irving isn't infallible," Will said quietly, his hands clenching. "He had already proven to me where he stood on the issue. I stood by my friend, and you will never convince me that that was the wrong decision, knowing what I did at the time." 'Besides' he thought, 'Jowan only used blood magic when Lily was threatened.'

Wynne studied him for a moment before sighing again. "To each their own, William. It is nice to see you agin, and ven though you're a Grey Warden now, you can still talk to me if you need anything." Will was about to take his leave, when he remembered the problem he had.

"Actually, I'm looking for some people. Davith and Sir Jory are the other two recruits, and the Warden Alistair is supposed to oversee our induction. Do you know where they are?" Wynne smiled slightly.

"Alistair was here earlier; look for the blond man talking to every mage he can find. As for the others… Sir Jory was listening to a Sister over that way; he has reddish bristles and carries a great sword. Davith is around. He has dark hair and a stubble, and carries a bow." Will thanked Wynne, then bade her goodbye and wandered off. He decided to go get Sir Jory first.

He was still where Wynne had seen him, quietly observing a sermon. He was a tall man, wearing chain mail and carrying a sword almost as big as Will. He glanced up when Will called his name.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Duncan sent me. He says that it's time to begin the joining." Jory's neutral expression opened up slightly at these words.

"Oh, you must be the new recruit that we were told to expect. Would you tell me your name? I am Sir Jory, from Redcliffe."

"William Surana, Denerim/Kinloch Hold." Will said, taking Jory's offered hand briefly. No need to be rude.

"Kinloch… That's the Tower of Magi, isn't it? Are you a mage, then?" Will frowned slightly. Jory's tone, which had been friendly before, was now laced with a touch of fear. He remembered what the Templar at the Tower had said about people in the outside world fearing Mages, but Will found himself hoping that, in the army at least, people would have more important things to worry about than the mages who were on their side.

"I am. Is that going to be a problem?" he asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"No, of coarse not." Jory said quickly, too quickly to have been entirely honest. "Well, since you're here, I might as well head over to Duncan's fire. That's the unofficial Grey Warden headquarters." He started off, before Will called his attention back.

"Before you go, could you tell me if Davith is around? I'm supposed to find him." Jory rolled his eyes.

"Look for lady soldiers. Davith is rarely far." With that, he turned and left. Will glanced around, before heading off in a random direction, keeping an eye out for a dark haired man with a bow chatting up girls. While he was doing this, he considered the first of his new companions. Jory seemed a nice enough person, willing to talk to Will the Mage, even if he didn't like it. Hopefully some time together would convince him that mages were not as bad as the Chantry made them out to be.

Will was walking by the quartermaster's area before he got a likely fix on Davith. As per what he had been told, the slightly rough looking man had a long bow, leather armor, and was trying to convince woman to give him the time of day.

"… That pretty face could be decorating a darkspawn's spear tomorrow…" he was saying as Will came over. Rolling his eyes slightly, Will spoke up.

"Davith?" The man turned, surprised at being addressed. The unfortunate woman took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat.

"Yes, can I help you?" Davith said reproachfully, as if he had actually been making progress and Will had disrupted him.

"I'm recruit number three, William Surana. Duncan sent me to tell you that the Joining will be beginning soon, and we're to get to his fire." Davith smiled, the surly look on his face fading.

"Well, you're not exactly what I expected, but it's good to know we're getting started. I was beginning to suspect that the Wardens had cooked up this whole Joining for our benefit."

"They may still have. Have you heard anything about it?" Davith glanced around, then stepped closer to Will, as if afraid of being overheard.

"I was snooping around the other day, and overheard some of the other Wardens. They were talking about the Joining." Davith whispered. "I think that their plan is to send us into the Wilds."

"Probably will. They need to know we're capable of killing Darkspawn before we join. Can you imagine how humiliating it would be for the Wardens to have people who couldn't kill Darkspawn join?" Davith chuckled, and then his face became grim again.

"It's just too secretive for my liking. Makes my nose twitch." He sighed. "Well, lets get this started. It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

"Duncan conscripted you?" Will asked. Davith nodded.

"Decided I would be useful, and got me out of a spot of trouble. You?"

"Ditto." Davith raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Will sighed. "The same."

"Well, lets go."

"I actually still have to find Alistair. Any ideas where he is." Davith chuckled again.

"He was in those ruins over there. I heard him arguing with a mage. Something about his being 'a puppet of that paranoid old bugger.'" Shaking his head, Davith wandered off. Will watched him for a moment, then walked in the direction he had pointed. He had barely gotten two steps before he was hailed.

"You there! Elf! Where is that armor I told you to get?" Will turned towards the large, beefy man who was stomping towards him. Will's eyes narrowed. "And why are you dressed so preposterously." The man reached out, probably to grab Will, but stopped when Will snapped his fingers and summoned a ball of fire. "What the…"

"I am not one of your servants, _sir_" Will said scathingly, moving the fire slightly so it kept the man's attention. "I am a mage, and a Grey Warden. And I don't like your tone."

"Of coarse, of coarse. Please, pardon my rudeness. I was just expecting… well, one of my helpers went missing, and you looked like him…"

"Meaning I had pointed ears. Is that all you look for?" Will asked, his voice cold enough to freeze water.

"No, no! You actually do look like him! I'm sorry. I've had a long day, what with fixing all the weapons and armor that got broken in the last battle. I'm the quartermaster. I just… spoke before my mind caught up, please forgive me." Will continued to glare at him, noting with some satisfaction the sweat on the man's face.

"I'll drop it if you promises to treat your helper better. However, if you "mistake" me for him again, and repeat this performance…" Will paused, knowing that the man's imagination could come up with a far more scary punishment than he ever could. The quartermaster paled.

"Of coarse, thank you," he said quickly, releasing a breath as Will quenched the fire he had been holding. Will turned and walked away. He entered the ruins, and heard raised voices from one of the other areas. Poking his head through an archway, he saw an amusing sight.

Senior Enchanter Ivan was, to put it lightly, an annoying prick. When he had left for Ostagar, everyone but his few favorites had given a small cheer. Unless you met his exact standards; not to smart, not to dumb, and a complete kiss-up, he would do everything he could to make your life in his class miserable. It was quiet apparent, however, that the man in front of him, probably Alistair, was annoying him greatly. Will leaned against the arch, content to watch Ivan squirm.

"… Haven't the Grey Wardens asked more than enough from the Circle?" Ivan was hissing. Alistair sighed before responding.

"I simply came to deliver a message from the Revered Mother. She desires your presence." His voice was dull; he had probably repeated these words many times already today.

"What Her Reverence _desires_ is of no concern to me! I am helping the Grey Wardens on the _King's_ orders!"

"Should I have asked her to write a note?" 'Oh, yes, Alistair!' Will thought gleefully. 'Snark at him, he _hates_ it, especially when there is nothing he can do about it!'

"Tell her I will not be harassed in this manner!" Ivan shouted, his mouth frothing slightly. Obviously his inability to punish Alistair was getting to him. The Warden smirked.

"Oh, yes, _I'm _harassing_ you_ by giving you a message." Ivan glowered at him.

"Your glibness does you no credit." he said coldly.

"Oh, and I thought we were such good friends!" Alistair said dramatically, abandoning all pretenses. "I was going to name one of my children after you. The _grumpy_ one!" Will couldn't hold it in any longer, he started laughing at the thunderous look on Ivan's face. The two turned towards him, not having realized they had an audience.

"You! Surana, you arrogant swine! When we get back to the Tower…" Ivan shouted, stomping towards Will, who grinned.

"Didn't you hear? I'm not part of the Circle anymore. You can't do anything to me… Ivy." Will said, trying not to burst out laughing again at the look on the Enchanter's face at the nickname everyone who didn't like him used behind his back. Fuming, he shoved past Will and stormed off.

"You know, one thing I love about the Blight is how it brings people together." Alistair said quietly, smirking as he walked over to Will, who glanced back to him.

"I know exactly what you mean." Will chuckled.

"It's like a party! I think that we should all join hands and sing feelings. That would give the Darkspawn something to think about!" Alistair cried, trying not to laugh. Shaking his head, he composed himself. "I'm Alistair, by the way. You're a mage, aren't you?"

"Yes, William Surana," Will introduced himself "…but as I told Ivy, I'm not part of the Circle anymore. Duncan recruited me. He told me to tell you that the Joining will be starting soon." Alistair's smile became a bit brittle at the mentioning of the ritual.

"Well then, I guess we should head for HQ. Did you already find Sir Jory and Davith?" Will nodded, and Alistair sighed in relief. "That's one problem I don't have to deal with." The two started back towards Duncan's fire.

"So, why did the Revered Mother want Ivy?" Will asked. Alistair shook his head.

"Not just him. She told me to "invite" any mage I could find." He shook his head. "King Cailan invited the Circle here, and the Chantry doesn't like that. The Revered Mother, especially, takes great pains to inform all mages just how unwelcome they are."

"Why send you, though? And why did you accept?"

"Well, Duncan said that we should all work together against the Darkspawn, though it appears not everyone got the memo." Alistair sighed again. "As for me, she meant it as an insult. I was once a templar, so she was trying to intimidate them without appearing to."

Will stared at the man, the _templar_ walking next to him. How had he not noticed? "You were a mage hunter?" he asked, hoping desperately that Alistair had been joking.

"Not that that's all templar do." Alistair said slowly, "but yes, I was trained as a templar. Duncan recruited me before I took my final vows." He glanced at Will, who had unconsciously drifted out of sword reach. "You ok?"

Will nodded slowly, not really thinking. Alistair cocked his head slightly, but didn't push the issue.

They were passing the kennels, when William heard a pained whine. He glanced over, and saw the kennel master staring into one of the larger cages, shaking his head and muttering. Glancing back, he spoke to Alistair's chin.

"Could you please tell Duncan I'll be along in a second? I want to check something out." Alistair opened his mouth slightly, but then closed it and nodded. Will detoured over to the kennels.

"…would hate to waste such a promising member of the breed." The kennel master shook his head, before turning, and noticed Will watching him. "Oh, hello, what can I do for you?"

"What happened?" Will asked, gesturing towards the cage. The dog master sighed, glancing back.

"Poor boy was in the last battle, and he accidently swallowed some Darkspawn blood. He's in so much pain. I have some medicine that will make him feel better, but he snaps at me when I attempt to administer it. His master died in the battle, so I can't ask him to help." The man's eyes brightened suddenly. "Say, you're a mage, right. They say that the first mabari were bred by the mages. Maybe he would let you help him. All I need is for someone to muzzle him."

Will was about to refuse, but then he heard the whine again. It sounded so… broken; it tugged at Will's heart. "I'll see what I can do." Will had read a book on mabari once, and he knew a bit about them. Maybe it would be enough.

"Thank you!" the kennel master said, grabbing a muzzle from the fence beside him. "All you have to do is get him to accept this. I can take it from there." Will nodded, before slowly opening the gate.

The mabari was big, about half Will's height, and made of pure muscle. It's eyes flicked to him immediately, and a soft growl escaped its lips. Will thought back on what he had read. Mabari were smart, probably as smart as humans. Will crouched slowly, so that he could look the dog in the eye.

"It's ok, boy. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help." The dog's growl stopped, but it still looked wary. Will slowly raised one hand, trying not to blink. The dog slowly padded towards him, sniffing his hand. "That's right, boy. I want to help you, but you have to let me." The dog studied him for a moment longer, before slowly bowing its head. Will slowly moved forward, carefully putting the muzzle on. The dog whimpered softly, but stopped as Will gently rubbed his head. "Get well soon, boy." With that, Will quietly stood and left the enclosure.

"Well done!" the kennel master cheered. "I can give him the medicine now." He studied Will for a moment. "You know, I think he liked you. Watching the two of you reminded me of when his master was still alive. Great man; knew a lot about dogs. I think our mabari friend might be up to imprinting on you." Will's eyebrows rose. Mabari were very smart, but still seemed to be dependant on people. Imprinting was when they decided what human they would follow for the rest of their lives. It was rare for a second imprinting, especially so soon after the original master died. "Say, are you going out into the Wilds, by any chance." Will nodded, still thinking about the book. "There's a flower out there, white with a red center, that can be made into a medicine that will make mabari much better. If you're out there, and you see some, I'd be very grateful if you would grab a few. I'm sure the dog would be, too."

"I'll see what I can do." Will promised, before turning and heading over to Duncan's fire, and his future.

(Codex: Mabari)

Dogs are an essential part of Fereldan culture, and no dog is more prized that the mabari. The breed is as old as myth, said to have been bred from the wolves who served Dane. Prized for their intelligence and loyalty, these dogs are more than mere weapons or status symbols: The hounds choose their masters, and pair with them for life. To be the master of a mabari anywhere in Ferelden is to be recognized instantly as a person of worth

The mabari are an essential part of Fereldan military strategy. Trained hounds can easily pull knights from horseback or break lines of pikemen, and the sight and sound of a wave of war dogs, howling and snarling, has been known to cause panic among even the most hardened infantry soldiers.

_AN_: One piece of Will's past has been unlocked. My apologies that this took so long to post, I've been busy. Please review.


	6. The Joining

Chapter 5: The Joining

Will soon arrived at Duncan's massive bonfire. Davith was leaning against one of the pillars, seemingly without a care in the world. Sir Jory was pacing, and glanced up as Will joined the circle. Alistair and Duncan were talking quietly, but looked over at Will. Duncan raised one eyebrow slightly.

"Sorry, Duncan. I noticed something, and had to check it out quickly." Will said quickly. Duncan nodded, then turned too look around the whole group.

"Let us begin. The Joining is the ritual that will make you into Grey Wardens. However, before we can begin, you need to help with the preparations. What is needed is three vials of darkspawn blood, one for each of you. You three will have to go out into the Korcari Wilds." Duncan paused for a second. The three recruits glanced at each other, and silently decided not to ask. All three had tried to get information on the Joining, and all three had failed.

"There is also a second task you must perform, not strictly related to the Joining. There was once a Grey Warden outpost here in the Wilds, but it was abandoned over a century ago. It has come to my attention, however, that several scrolls were left there, scrolls that could be helpful."

"If I may ask, what are these scrolls?" Will asked, and Duncan glanced at him.

"They are old treaties; documents promising support for the Grey Wardens in the event of a Blight. They were once considered just a formality, but, given the current climate, may prove necessary."

"Wait." Sir Jory spoke up. "Is it just going to be the three of us, going into the Wilds?" He sounded slightly nervous at the prospect.

"No. Alistair here is going with you. It is his job to make sure that you avoid the majority of the horde, as well as to provide support. He will not, however, be making your job easy. This is a test for you, not for him."

"Get three vials of blood, and find some old treaties." Will said, trying to sound like this was completely normal. "Understood."

Duncan nodded, then turned to Alistair. "Watch over your charges, Alistair. Bring them back quickly, and safely." Alistair nodded seriously, then turned and led the way towards the gate out into the Wilds.

* * *

><p>"So, who's leading this operation?" Will asked as the group entered the Wilds.<p>

"What do you mean?" Jory asked, looking surprised. "Sir Alistair is the only proper Warden here, he's in charge." If Will had been looking at Alistair, he may have noticed the slightly sick look on his face at those words.

"Actually, he probably won't." Davith said, smirking. "Duncan said that Alistair here was just supposed to look over our shoulders. Kind of hard to do that when he's leading us."

"So… then who is?" Jory asked, glancing between Will and Davith, clearly not seeing either of them as leaders, but not really wanting the job himself.

"I think you would do well, Sir Knight." Davith said, a cheeky grin in place. "You're the most official one out of us recruits."

Jory opened his mouth furiously, but Will cut him off. "As _fascinating_ as this discussion is, I'm afraid it will have to wait. Those wolves don't look very friendly." He pointed out a small pack of wolves, which had silently entered the clearing. All of them were very lean. Will and Alistair had already drawn their weapons. The lead wolf howled, and the whole pack charged, spreading out.

Will's fire lashed out, burning one, then telekinetically tripped up another. Three tried to overwhelm Alistair, but he smashed his shield into one face, stabbed another, and avoided the last one. Jory desperately hauled his sword from his back, and was barely able to cut down a wolf that had been jumping him. Davith faired a bit better, grabbing two knives and gave a wolf a nasty gash across its muzzle, driving it back. Will was tackled by the final wolf, but was able to hook his staff under its throat, holding its teeth back while he cast Winter's Grasp on it. Alistair finished off his final foe, and turned to help Davith, finishing off the last wolf.

Silence fell over the area, as the victorious Wardens caught their breath. Alistair looked around, making sure that no other enemies were waiting in the brush. Davith went around, nudging the bodies to make sure that they were, in fact, dead.

"Why did those wolves attack us?" Jory asked, looking around. "The wolves around Redcliffe rarely lashed out at humans."

"Look at how thin they are." Davith said, poking the last one before looking up. "This lot was probably starving, desperate for any food." He glanced at Will, grinning. "As for our previous argument, I think we've found a leader."

"I'm not sure that's a great idea." Will said, leaning slightly on his staff. "I've haven't been outside the tower in fourteen years, and lived in a city before that."

"What Davith probably means is that you'll be making the general decisions." Alistair spoke up. "You were the first to notice those wolves, and seem to react well under pressure. Besides, those two," he continues, gesturing to Davith and Jory, "… spend most of their time arguing, and so probably won't take orders from each other very well." Will sighed, and then nodded.

"Fine, if you lot insist." Davith and Alistair looked happy, and though Jory looked like he might have some doubts, he did not voice them. "Davith, you seem to know about the forest."

"I grew up in the area." Davith confirmed. Will nodded.

"Right, you should probably be the trail blazer. Alistair, follow next, seeing as you have the most experience. I'll go next, able to support. Jory, that makes you rear guard." He received three nods, and the group set off deeper into the Wilds.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until a few minutes later that they found anything interesting.<p>

"Hold up." Davith called softly from his position in the front, holding up a closed fist. The rest of the group stopped. "I smell smoke up ahead, along with some… less pleasant odors." Will nodded.

"Best be careful, then," he whispered, gesturing Alistair forward. Around the next bend, they found the source.

"Maker's breath!" Jory gasped, coming to a halt. "What happened here?" A scene of absolute devastation littered the clearing ahead of them. There was a burning cart tipped onto it's side, the ox that had pulled it lay a short distance away, literally ripped into pieces. Most troubling, there were many human bodies scattered over the area, some missing parts.

"… There aren't any darkspawn in the area, let's take a look." Alistair said quietly. The four Wardens moved forward.

"What are you doing?" Jory asked Davith, noticing that the latter was riffling through the pockets of one of the fallen soldiers.

"Hey, he isn't going to need any of this stuff anymore," Davith said calmly, pocketing a small bag of coin. "Might as well it go to someone who can use it."

"He's right, Jory." Alistair spoke up. "Standard Grey Warden policy has us scrounging as much as we can." He held up his hand to stop Jory's response. "I know that it's distasteful, and feels wrong, but Grey Wardens do what must be done to stop the Darkspawn, and if that includes taking from the fallen, then so be it."

Will had been listening to the conversation with half his attention, focusing mostly on checking one of the bodies. However, he suddenly realized that said body was groaning. "Hey, come over here for a second. I think I've found a survivor!" The others quickly abandoned their ethics debate and rushed to Will, who was carefully turning the soldier over. Indeed, the man had somehow survived. "Help me patch him up!" Will hissed, before casting Heal with all his strength. Alistair pulled a wad of bandages from his equipment belt, and started cleaning the wounds too big for Will's less-than-perfect healing abilities.

"Ohh," the soldier groaned, slowly forcing his eyes open. "Who is… that?" he whispered. "Grey… Wardens?" He tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Will.

"You're a mess," he said firmly, keeping the healing going. "What happened here?"

"My scouting party was… ambushed by Darkspawn. They came out of the ground, out of the trees, out of thin air." Fear clouded the soldier's eyes. "I have to get out of here, before they return." Will nodded, and focused his energy on the man's legs. Before too long, the wounded soldier was limping away.

"Did you here that? An entire band of soldiers killed by Darkspawn!" Jory hissed, looking around the clearing nervously. Alistair raised his hands gently.

"Calm down, Sir Jory," he said soothingly. "We'll be fine if we're careful." Jory did not sound reassured.

"Those soldiers were careful, and they were still overwhelmed. How many darkspawn are we expected to kill? A dozen? A hundred? There's an entire _army_ of them in this forest."

"There are darkspawn about, but we are in no danger of running into the main hoard." Alistair tried again to calm Jory.

"How do you know?" Jory hissed, then heard Davith snort. "I'm not a coward, but this is foolish and reckless. We should pull back."

Will barely bit back his first response. "In case you have forgotten, our job is not to defeat the army. Our job is to kill some stragglers, get their blood, find some old treaties, and go home." Jory opened his mouth, but Will continued "Besides, surely the whole point of us being out here is so that we may prove that we can fight Darkspawn."

"That's… true, I guess." Jory said, still looking nervous. "But…"

"Know this." Alistair said, a hint of steel entering his voice. "All Grey Wardens can sense darkspawn. It's one of the things that makes us so good at fighting them. It is also one of the reasons I'm here, to make sure you don't stumble into something that you cannot handle." He smiled slightly. "That's not to say I'm here to make things easy for you. You have to find the darkspawn blood on your own."

"Then let's get on that. The sooner we get what we need to, the sooner we can get out of this place." Will said, gesturing the group to resume their previous marching positions.

* * *

><p>The team walked in silence for a while, listening for the sound of Darkspawn. It wasn't until they reached some old Tevinter ruins that they had any luck.<p>

"Stop." Davith hissed, taking cover behind one of the pillars. The rest of the Wardens gathered around. "I saw two shapes on a ridge, not far from here. They certainly didn't look or move like humans." He glanced at Alistair, who considered for a second.

"Genlocks," he said quietly. "Their the most common of the Darkspawn, and are pretty short. There are probably at least a few Hurlocks around. Bands are rarely smaller than six members, and this far from the army probably won't be larger than fifteen."

"With surprise on our side, we should be able to take that many." Will said quietly. "Davith, you open up. Take the two you can see, then take cover over there." Will gestured to another pillar. "Meanwhile, the rest of us will wait for the others. I'll take out the majority of them, while Alistair and Jory engage the stragglers. Davith will pick off any archers, I'll help finish off anything left, and we'll see where that leaves us. Sound good?" The others nodded, before steeling themselves for the coming battle.

It opened exactly as planned. Davith's first arrow punctured the Genlock's heart, and his second took the other in the throat. There were several roars and cries from the other side of the hill, and about seven darkspawn charged towards Davith, three Hurlocks and four Genlocks. Will's staff hissed as a massive jet of fire swept right through the center of the charge. Two of the Hurlocks and one Genlock died, screaming in horrible, animalistic pain. It the light generated by his blaze, Will got his first good look at a Darkspawn.

He took an involuntary step back, having never seen anything so hideous in his life. Even the horrible spiked bear form of Sloth and the nightmarish body of Mouse the Pride Demon paled in comparison. The Hurlock looked vaguely human, though it's skin was… rotted and scarred. It's face looked more like a skull than anything else, and it's teeth… They were like massive, chipped needles, uneven and bloodstained. This monster must have been… feeding recently, and Will suddenly realized where the missing parts from the ambush sight had gone too. The eyes were the worst. Gazing into those black orbs, Will could see intelligence, cunning, but nothing even resembling a soul. The Genlocks were just as bad. Their faces were a bit more complete, but that was just as bad. Their skin was a sickly green color, pockmarked by scars and scabs. The whole lot wore what could barely be called armor, plates of metal strung together by the remains of countless belts. Their weapons were cold and brutal looking, the shields were covered in spikes, and had gruesome images painted in what looked like blood. The Hurlock was carrying a notched saber, stained red by countless kills, and jagged just like its shield. The Genlocks all carried short axes, which were no better than the sword. All in all, Will was of the opinion that these _things_ belong in a nightmare, not the real world.

Alistair stepped forward calmly, followed by a much more reluctant Jory. The Hurlock and one of the Genlocks veered towards Alistair, while the other two darted towards Jory. Meanwhile, two more archers had come up onto the ridge where the first were, and prepared to fire upon the Wardens. They didn't get the chance, as Will used Winter's Grasp on one and Davith shot the other through the chest. Alistair was able to quickly kill the Genlock he was fighting, but then had to turn his full attention to the Hurlock, which was a far more dangerous foe. Their swords kept being deflected by the other's shield, and they settled into a deadly dance of swords.

Jory was having more problems. While a talented warrior, he was not nearly as experienced in fighting foes shorter than himself. The two Genlocks were also able to work together as a pair, seeming to know instinctively how best to use their advantage. Whenever Jory would attempt to strike one with his massive sword, the other would simply attack from a different angle, forcing him back. Jory probably would have been wounded or killed before too long, had Davith not taken the opportunity to shoot one of the darkspawn in the leg. It stumbled back, giving Jory the time to kill its counterpart, before turning on the wounded one. Will, meanwhile, had moved to aid Alistair. An Arcane Bolt slammed into the Hurlock, mangling its shield arm. Defenseless, it quickly fell to the Warden.

"Behind you!" Davith shouted suddenly, and Will turned. Charging towards him were three more darkspawn, a Hurlock and two Genlocks. Will hissed, slamming the butt of his staff into the ground, unleashing a wave of telekinesis. The two smaller enemies were bowled over, but, to Will's horror, the Hurlock shrugged the attack off and kept coming. A savage overhead blow knocked the staff from his hands, causing Will to stumble back. He was able to use an Arcane Shield to redirect a second slash, while his hand went desperately for his robes. The Hurlock swung its shield back, ready to deliver a massive blow, as Will pulled something swiftly from his pocket.

A thin jet of fire arched out from the short rod in his hand, boiling through the darkspawn's shield, then it's arm, and finally through it's body, severing the spine.

"What was that?" Alistair asked as he dispatched one of the stunned Genlocks, the other already having an arrow through its head.

"It's called a Rod of Fire." Will said, putting it back into his robes and picking up his staff, killing the thrashing Hurlock with another Arcane Bolt. "I got it at the tower, just before I left. They never asked me to give it back, so I hung on to it." Davith grinned, obviously proud of his new teammate's thieving ability. Will grimaced slightly as he noted the notch in his staff. As poorly maintained as those swords looked, they were sharp.

"Not bad, everyone." Alistair said, glancing around. "I'll be the one extracting the blood, it can do nasty things to people who haven't, ah, _prepared_ for it." He set about his work, carefully siphoning the blood of the non-burned Hurlock into a trio of vials, while the others kept watch to make sure that nothing else took the opportunity to attack. After a few minutes, Alistair stepped away from the bodies. "Let's go, we still need to find that old Warden outpost." The group set off again. None noticed the silent form watching them from a nearby tree.

* * *

><p>"We're getting nowhere." Jory muttered, and though Will was annoyed that he had been repeating this line of thinking for the past hour, he had to admit Jory had a point. Davith, as it turned out, only knew the edges of the Wilds, and had never gone deeper in. Thus the Wardens were walking blind, with only the occasional animal trail to guide them. They had had to fend off several more packs of darkspawn, never more than eight, but still annoying and potentially dangerous.<p>

"I know" Alistair said, ducking a low hanging branch that Will, being shorter, was able to just walk under. A pained grunt from behind him indicated that Jory hadn't ducked in time. "However, we are not in any immediate danger, and we still need to find those treaties." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "However, if we haven't found anything in, say, another hour, then we'll go back. Duncan did say that the treaties were mostly formalities."

"Quiet, I think I hear something." Will hissed, holding up his hand. Indeed, he could hear the grunts that indicated there were Darkspawn nearby. Alistair nodded.

"Not a lot, but I think one is an Alpha." The other three glanced at him, wondering what the difference was. "Alphas are quite tough, so leave it to me. You deal with the others." The team nodded, and they slowly peeked into another clearing. It was at the edge of a lake, and it looked like there had once been a human camping there. However, the group of darkspawn around indicated that the unfortunate campers were either dead or had already run.

One of the four Hurlocks stood out. Rather than patchwork armor that looked like it would fall apart if anything hit it, this darkspawn wore a proud suit of plate armor, and it's head was covered by a full helmet, topped by bull horns. It also carried a massive axe. This must be the Alpha Alistair mentioned.

The Alpha glanced up, turning to look at the Wardens. It proceeded to hiss out something that might have been a command, drawing its battleaxe at the same time. The darkspawn quickly clustered up, each drawing their own weapon.

"How did they know we were here?" Jory asked, drawing his own broadsword. The Darkspawn, however, didn't give Alistair time to answer, as all nine of them charged with a deep throated roar. Will's staff unleashed a torrent of fire, but the Alpha barked, and the group split up seconds before the flames would have incinerated them all. As it was, one of the Hurlocks and two of the Genlocks were killed or injured too badly to fight. This almost included the Alpha, but that beast was tough enough that it shrugged of Will's attack. Two of the Genlocks stopped, and drew their bows. Davith was faster, taking one out with a shot to the chest. He then had to duck behind a tree, as the second returned fire, before having a hole put in it's head by one of Will's Arcane Bolts. One of the normal Hurlocks and the final Genlock attacked Jory, while the Alpha was intercepted by Alistair. The final Hurlock attempted to attack Will, but was thwarted by his shields until Davith killed it with a knife to the back. Jory was once again running into trouble with the teamwork of the Darkspawn, until he made a surprise move. Rather than swing the blade of his sword, he made a sudden smash with the pommel, knocking the Hurlock down. This gave him the time he needed to kill the Genlock, before finishing off the struggling Hurlock. Alistair, however, was having the most trouble. Alphas were among the most dangerous darkspawn in existence, and this one was particularly tough. Alistair's sword couldn't even scratch it's armor, and he never had the time to aim for a weak spot, because he knew that the axe would be able to break through any defense he had, if it's wielder got a good blow in. Will tried to strike the darkspawn with an Arcane Bolt, but the attack was simply evaded. Jory attempted to aid Alistair, and did give him some breathing room, but the Alpha was just too strong, and with a vicious kick threw Jory into a tree. Davith's arrows simply glanced off the tough armor, and he wasn't stupid enough to try and get into knife range.

Will ground his teeth, trying desperately to think of something. The darkspawn's armor was too strong to penetrate with anything but magic, and it was staying too close to Alistair for him to unleash his full fury. How could he kill this monster without also harming their guide…

"I've got it!" he hissed to himself, and set his staff into the ground, bowed his head, and started chanting. "_Let the Fade hear my cry! Let the air bend! Let space compress! Form a shield that none can penetrate. __**Force Field**__!_" He then raised his staff, unleashing the magic he had gathered.

Alistair had been knocked off balance by the Alpha, and was desperately raising his shield to block to inevitable chop, when the air around him started to shimmer. A strange light surrounded him, and the darkspawn's massive axe shattered as it came into contact. Stunned, the darkspawn stumbled back, only to be incinerated by a massive wave of fire, which slide off Alistair's new shield. Not even heat penetrated the dome of force.

"What was that?" Davith asked, glancing at Will, who was leaning back against a tree. Jory, meanwhile, was clambering slowly to his feet, and Alistair was trying to get out of the force field.

"It's called Force Field," Will said, taking a small sip of lyrium. "It's telekinesis. Essentially, I bent space back on itself several times, and then locked it into place. The shield formed is all but unbreakable, only once in recorded history has one been truly broken, and of the five mages that worked together to do it, two died from exertion, one was a blood mage that killed about twenty people to power the spell, and the other two were in a coma for about a week." He grinned slightly. "It unravels with time, but I cannot speed that process up. I'm afraid Alistair will be trapped in their for a few minutes longer."

"What do you mean by 'truly broken'?" Davith asked, raising his eyebrows.

"There are methods to dispel it. Most Templar can, though not when they are inside. Certain spells that directly affect mana can be used to take its power away. However, that is not quite the same as breaking it, just as going around a shield is not the same as breaking it."

"Well, that sounds rather useful." Jory said as he rejoined them. Alistair seemed to be trying to dispel the force field using his templar training, but, true to Will's words, was not having any luck. It wasn't until the spell failed normally that he was able to move again. Meanwhile, the others had moved on to poke around the camp.

"Find anything?" he asked as he joined them.

"Well, here are the people who made this camp." Jory said, nudging two bodies, both wearing Chantry robes, lying facedown in the shallows nearby.

"Their names are Missionaries Rigby and Jogby, father and son who set out to spread the words of the Maker to the Chasind." Will said quietly, studying a journal he found. "Apparently, they left several things in a supply cache just up the hill a ways, including a lockbox that they hope any who finds their remains will give to a woman named Jetta, who lives in Redcliffe." He flipped a few more pages, before smiling. "They also were kind enough to leave a map. On it is noted most of the ruins, including one that seems to match the description Duncan gave us."

"Excellent, that means we can get going." Davith said, studying a dagger held by one of the darkspawn. It was far nicer than the others being used, and he nodded and replaced one of the two he was using with the new one. "Are we going to take a look at the cache?"

Will thought for a moment, studying the map. "It's not to far from here, and we could use the other supplies. Besides, we owe them for the map."

"Sounds good." Alistair nodded. "By the way, thanks for the save," he said to Will, who ignored him. He studied the map for a second longer, before gesturing the others to follow him as he stepped onto the small path the map pointed out.

The group wandered for about five minutes before reaching the cache. Hidden under the roots of a large tree, the supplies were protected by a locked chest. The key had been hidden in the journal itself, so Will opened the chest.

"Wow, not bad." Davith whistled. There was a fairly large bag of coins, as well as a large sword, probably of Chasind make. There was also a supply of food, some spare clothes, and a suit of armor, and the lockbox mentioned in the will.

"Wouldn't it have been more prudent to _wear_ the armor?" Will said, rolling his eyes.

"These were missionaries." Jory said stiffly. "They didn't want the Chasind to feel threatened. Unfortunately, they weren't counting on the Darkspawn." Davith nodded, before reaching in and grabbing the bag of money, but Alistair spoke up.

"Give that here, Davith, you've taken enough already." The rouge sullenly complied, and Jory took the Chasind blade, testing it.

"This is of good make, I'm going to start using it instead." Alistair nodded, and grabbed the box, as well as some of the other supplies. Will, meanwhile, had wandered a short distance away, and was studying a flower. It was the same one that the kennel master had mentioned, and he grabbed some and put them in an empty vial.

'Hope that will help the poor dog.' Will thought to himself, before rejoining the others. "Alright, let's move on. The ruins were looking for are not far." The others nodded, before falling in on Will.

"What's that, over there?" Davith asked about ten minutes later. Will glanced back, before looking in the direction Davith was pointing.

"That's just an overhang" he responded. There was a lake, and Davith had been pointing at a small hill that went up over the lake.

"No, I meant that thing on the overhang. I think we should go take a look." Davith said, and when Will looked more closely, he saw there was something.

"That, is just a pile of rocks," he said, slightly frustrated. "Let's move on, the ruins are just over there."

"Actually, I agree with Davith." Jory spoke up, surprising Will. He glanced at Alistair, who shrugged.

"I'm not sure…" he started, before stopping. It was just a short detour, what could possibly go wrong? The Wardens quickly clambered up the hill, coming to a stop around the strange pile of rocks.

"There must be something buried in here," Davith said excitedly. "Why else would there be such a deliberate pile of rocks here." Will nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of the rocks. Something wasn't right here.

'What's the worst that could happen?' a voice whispered in the back of his head. 'Go ahead, touch the tomb.' Will's hand reached forward, before he though about it. 'How did I know this is a tomb?' he asked himself, 'and why am I thinking these things anyways?' The answer became obvious a second later. "Get away from it!" he shouted desperately, but the warning came too late, as Jory reached forward and touched the top rock,

"FOOLISH MORTALS!" a voice boomed from behind them. "TOO WEAK TO RESIST MY CALL!" Will spun around, and saw something he had only known in books. A figure, similar in shape to Rage, but made of ash rather than flames, had risen at the bottom of the hill. It's eyes burned as it spoke.

"What is that thing?" Davith asked, the compulsion spell having been broken.

"Ash wraith." Will hissed, berating himself. 'Stupid! You should have been able to resist that, it was weak in comparison to what Pride tried!' "Spread out, these things can be nasty, especially the ones that have the power to affect minds outside the Fade." The others complied, Alistair taking point.

"OH, I DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT YOU. I'LL JUST BE LEAVING, NOW THAT YOU HAVE DISRUPTED THE PRISON." The Wraith did, indeed, try to leave, but didn't get very far before a Force Field sprang up around it.

"I'm afraid not, you tricky bastard," Will hissed, before jogging so that he was in front of it. "We may have freed you, but now we're going to kill you."

"Why, though." Davith asked, as he, Jory and Alistair fanned out as well. Will opened his mouth, but Alistair beat him to it.

"Because letting a demon loose in the mortal world is a really bad idea. It will be sure to cause all sorts of problems. I just wonder how it got here in the first place."

"Some idiot probably thought that they could control it, and brought it here, realized they couldn't, and bound it to those stones to keep it from destroying too much." Will growled, waiting for the force field to fade. It did so a few seconds later.

Will and the Wraith struck at the same moment, both being the most in-tune with magic. A blast of fire lashed out from the Wraith, but Alistair was able to dispel it before it boiled him alive. Will's ice coalesced, freezing and piercing the opponent. Davith's arrow entered it easily enough, but didn't seem to do a lot. Jory's sword created a deep gash, but caused no major damage. The Wraith responded by stretching it's arm much farther than it should have been able to go and smashing it into Jory, shoving him back. Alistair gathered himself, and with a hiss, used a full dispel directly on the demon.

The result was immediate, a desperate roar of pain from the Wraith. Will followed up with an Arcane Bolt, blasting a hole in the "chest". Davith's next arrow struck one of the creature's eyes, possibly blinding it. Jory took the opportunity to cut off the arm that had struck him. The ash lost cohesion as it fell to the ground, while the stump quickly reformed into another hand. However, the Wraiths problems were not yet over. Will had re-gathered himself, and launched another icy assault. Alistair moved in as well, and slashed at the Wraith's "throat". This was too much for the enemy, and with a final wail, it disintegrated.

"What just happened?" Jory asked, glancing around worriedly. Will sighed, putting away his staff.

"Demons sometimes are able to work their way into our world. Most of the time it involves possession, creating Abominations, but this one had to make do with some other material for a mortal form." He shook his head. "We're luck it was tired, having just gotten out of its prison. Those monsters are a lot more powerful most of the time." Will pulled the journal map back out of his pack. "Let's get going and find those treaties. I'm tired of this place."

"I think we all are." Alistair muttered, and the group set out towards the tower. A little over a minute later, they could see it. It was a complete wreck. Alistair suddenly held up his hand. "Emissary, along with another patrol. They're in the tower."

"What's an Emissary?" Davith asked, taking cover behind a nearby tree. Alistair groaned.

"Darkspawn mages. They are incredibly powerful, even more so than Alphas. It'll be up to William and I to defeat it, so I'm afraid you and Jory will have to hold off the others." They nodded, drawing their weapons.

"GET BACK!" Will shouted, bringing up a shield. The other three turned, to see a fireball heading their way. Everyone quickly took cover, and the explosion washed harmlessly off the trees. Will returned fire, aiming an Arcane Bolt at the window the fireball had come from.

"Maybe they'll all come running out here, and we can get them away from the Emissary." Jory said hopefully. Alistair shook his head.

"They'll be coming out, but so will the Emissary. Unfortunately, they're smart enough to avoid getting separated like that." Will nodded, poking his head out. He though he got a glimpse of the Emissary, scoffing at the feather he saw. As Alistair predicted, a cluster of darkspawn came out of the ruined tower, lead by the figure Will had seen. Less armored than the Alpha, the Emissary still gave off an aura of strength. It carried a crooked staff with what looked like a bird beak for a tip. It raised this weapon threateningly, before letting out a vicious cry. The four-spawn-pack with it all raised bows, unleashing a volley. Davith returned fire, as Alistair shielded him from three of the arrows. The fourth glanced off of Will's Arcane Shield, then he shifted it to deflect the mass of unholy force launched by the Emissary. He took the opportunity to launch an Arcane Bolt, tearing a hole in one of the archers. The Wardens were then forced to dodge back behind their trees as another fireball exploded. Will then tried to freeze the Emissary, but it's shield pushed the icy air away from it. Will pulled back, but suddenly heard a sound behind him.

"What the…" he hissed, turning, as _something_ appeared from thin air before him, already swinging two long, clawed arms above it's head. Will automatically raised his staff, but was shocked by the force of the blow, a crack was heard, as his staff snapped into two pieces at the deep notch made by the original Hurlock. The beast quickly lashed out again, ripping the front of Will's robes as he pressed himself back. He desperately lashed out with the broken pieces of his staff, piercing it's sharpened edge into the enemy, while simultaneously focusing his magic through the ruined runes. With an ear-splitting screech, the creature stumbled back, with deep wounds in both its chest and arm. This gave Will time to draw his Rod of Fire and burn a hole through the enemies skull, dropping it like a sack of potatoes.

Davith had managed to kill the all but one of the archers, but had taken an arrow in the shoulder, forcing him to back off. The last archer was soon frozen solid, before being shattered by an Arcane Bolt. Alistair gestured for Jory and Will to follow him as he charged the Emissary. He dispelled a fireball before it exploded, and Will intercepted one of the entropic blasts with an Arcane Bolt. The Emissary hissed something, and another cluster of six darkspawn rushed out of the tower. Jory raised his blade, and drove them back with a massive sweep. Will took the opportunity to lash out with three lances of fire, boiling his target's heads off. The Emissary tried to attack Will, but Alistair smashed it with his shield, forcing it back. It recovered quickly, and raised its staff, blocking Alistair's follow-up slash. However, it could not block the freezing air that surrounded it as Will used Winter's Grasp, and Alistair was able to finish it off. The remaining spawn were quickly killed.

"Well done, everyone." Alistair grinned, before entering the tower. "Let's find the chest that contains the treaties. I'll be able to undo the seal." Will nodded absentmindedly; more interested in the staff the Emissary had dropped. It seemed to have a malevolent aura about it, and was covered in what looked like blood, but Will needed a weapon, so he picked it up. Davith, meanwhile, had pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and put a poultice on it.

"What the?" came Jory's voice from inside. Will and Davith glanced at each other, before dashing into the tower. He and Alistair were staring at a broken chest standing near a hole in the wall.

"How did this happen? The seal should have protected them." Alistair moaned, kicking the chest moodily. Will raised his eyebrows, something wasn't right here. He couldn't help but feel that they were being watched. Hearing a sudden noise behind him, he whirled around.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Standing at the top of the ramp that had once led deeper into the tower stood a woman. She had raven-black hair, tied tightly into a bun. This was a less noticeable, seeing as her "clothes" consisted of a loose blouse that did little to hide her figure and a patchwork skirt. She walked slowly down the ramp, her hips swaying slightly as she smirked at the group of Wardens. "Are you vultures, I wonder? Scavengers, picking over bones that were long since cleaned?" She continued towards them, and Will noticed that she had a crooked wooden staff on her back. Alistair and the others came to stand beside Will. "Or are you intruders, coming into these Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" Will snorted at this particular statement; nothing in this damn forest had been easy. She stopped a short distance in front of them, folding her arms, studying them with piercing gold eyes. "What say you, hm? Scavengers, or intruders?"

"So passer-bys aren't allowed? Especially when this tower used to be theirs, before it fell apart." Will challenged. The woman raised one eyebrow delicately.

"Tis certainly a tower no longer. The forest has long since reclaimed this desiccated corpse." She resumed walking, passing by them. Davith and Jory stepped away, while Will and Alistair stood their ground.

"I have watched you for some time. 'Where do they go', I wondered. 'Why are they here.' Now you disturbed ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"

"Don't answer her." Alistair whispered, though Will noticed the woman perk up slightly, she could obviously hear him. "She looks Chasind, which means there are probably more around."

She snorted. "You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" she cried dramatically, raising her arms. She was obviously having a good time.

"Yes, _swooping_ is _bad_." Alistair said coolly, glaring at the still smirking woman. Davith, meanwhile, seemed to find his voice at last.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds! She'll turn us all into toads!" Will rolled his eyes, according to some of the mages who had left the Tower, being turned into a toad was one of peoples' greatest fears about mages.

"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends." The woman shook her head, almost seeming disappointed. "Have you no mind of your own?"

"Well, you're obviously a mage." Will said, smirking. "To the uninformed, that is synonymies with witch. Furthermore, you do in fact live in the Wilds. So technically, you are a Witch of the Wilds." The woman looked shocked for a moment, before laughing. "However, in the interest of politeness, is there something else you would like us to call you." She smiled slightly.

"You may call me Morrigan, if you wish." Will nodded.

"And you may call me William, if you wish." Morrigan nodded, before folding her arms again.

"Let us get to the point. You seek something that was in that chest. Something that is here no longer." Alistair looked outraged.

"_Here no longer_? You stole them, didn't you! Your some kind of… sneaky… witch thief!"

"How very eloquent." Morrigan sounded incredibly bored as she said this. "How does one steal from dead men?"

"Quite easily, it seems." Alistair hissed, taking a threatening step forward. "Those documents are Grey Warden property, and I suggest you return them." Morrigan's eyes narrowed.

"I will not, for it 'twas not I who removed them." She continued coldly. "Invoke a name that means nothing, if you wish. I am not threatened." Alistair opened his mouth furiously, but Will held up his hand. There was no sense in antagonizing Morrigan.

"The who did remove them?" he asked. Morrigan turned her attention back to him.

"'Twas my mother, in fact."

"Would it be possible for us to meet your mother, then?" Will asked.

For some reason, Morrigan smiled widely. "Now there is a sensible request," she chuckled. "I like you."

"I'd… be careful, if I were you." Alistair said slowly. "First it's 'I like you,' and then zap, frog time." Will opened his mouth to point out the absurdity of this statement, but Davith spoke up first.

"She'll put us all in the pot, she will! Just you watch!" Will stared, stunned, at Davith for a moment, before smacking his palm to his face.

"If the pot's warmer than this forest, it'll be a nice change." Jory said in frustration. Morrigan glanced between the Wardens for a moment, then shrugged.

"I'm going back. Follow me, if it suits you." With that, she turned and left. Will quickly followed her, and after a moment of deliberation, the others fell in behind him. The group walked for about thirty minutes, not meeting anything on the path. Eventually, they reached a rather large clearing, with a ramshackle hut at the center. As they approached, an old woman came out the door. Though, to look at her, she seemed frail, her hair completely gray, her face lined, Will couldn't help but be nervous of her. It wasn't that he sensed a great power about her, it was more that he senses _nothing_. It was unfathomable that she wasn't a magic user, so…

"Greetings, mother. I bring four Grey Wardens who…" Morrigan started, but her mother cut her off.

"I see them, girl." Morrigan was immediately silent, and quickly stepped around the older woman. The mother's eyes, the same fierce gold as her daughter's, studied each Warden in turn, perhaps spending a second longer on Will. She smirked. "Much as I expected."

"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?" Alistair asked scathingly. Both Morrigan and her mother glanced at him for a moment, and while Morrigan appeared annoyed, her mother seemed amused.

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut ones eyes tight or open ones arms wide, either way, ones a fool." Alistair's eyes widened slightly. Davith, meanwhile, was still trying to work his way through his old fears.

"She's a witch! We shouldn't be talking to her!" he hissed, standing as far away from the two women as he could. Jory glared at him.

"Quiet, Davith! If she's really a witch, we shouldn't make her angry!" Mother smiled.

"There's a smart lad. Sadly irrelevant in the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decide. Believe what you will." Will's eyes narrowed as he tried to work his way through what she had just said. Before he could ask, she turned back to him. "And what of you? Does your elven mind give you a different viewpoint, or are you like the others?"

"What is it I'm supposed to have a viewpoint on?" The woman smiled, studying him with renewed interest.

"Your question shows more wisdom that it might imply. Different questions do indeed require different answers. Be always aware. Or is it oblivious? I can never remember which." Will raised his eyebrow, then glanced at Morrigan, who was rubbing her temple.

"They did not come here to listen to your prattle, Mother."

"True." The older woman's voice became much more direct, and reached into a pack at her belt. "You came for your treaties. And before you start bleating…" she said sharply, looking directly at Alistair, "your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these." She pulled out a set of scrolls, fingering them slightly.

"You!" Alistair started, before catching up with what she said. "Oh, you protected them." Morrigan snorted.

"And why not?" her mother asked fiercely, before quite deliberately handing the treaties to Will. "Take these, and tell your leaders that this threat, is greater than they realize."

"Thanks, but what do you mean 'greater than they realize?'" Will asked, carefully putting the treaties away. She smirked in response.

"Either the threat is more, or they realize less." She suddenly started laughing. "Or perhaps the threat is nothing! Or perhaps they realize nothing!" She went silent suddenly. "Oh don't mind me. You have what you came for." Morrigan smiled coldly.

"Time for you to go, then." She started to walk away, before her mother stopped her.

"Don't be ridicules, girl! These are your guests." Morrigan stopped, sighed, and turned back to the Wardens.

"Very well, I'll show you out of the woods. Follow me." With that, she stalked past them and back towards Ostagar.

* * *

><p>The trip back passed in silence, the Wardens all lost in thought, and Morrigan was still an unknown. She split off from them around the place where the Wardens had saved the wounded soldier, and they arrived back at the fortress unhindered.<p>

"Let's get this blood and the treaties back to Duncan, we need to prepare for the Joining." Will nodded, and before too long, they were standing around Duncan's fire. He glanced up from the map he had been studying.

"Have you got what we need?" he asked quietly. Alistair nodded, handing over the padded pouch holding the darkspawn blood, and Will gave Duncan the treaties. He smiled. "Well done, all of you. It will take some time to prepare this.

"Will you give us any idea what this ritual is about, now?" Will asked. Duncan's smile faded.

"I will not lie, we Wardens pay a heavy price to become what we are. Fate may dictate that you pay this price now rather than later. That is all I can say for the moment, and I must ask you to trust me. Alistair, take them to the old temple. The Joining shall take place there." Alistair nodded, before gesturing the others to follow him.

"Can I just give this flower to the kennel master, please. It's for a sick mabari." Alistair paused for a moment, then nodded. Will quickly hurried over to the kennels.

"Oh, hey, you're back!" the man said happily as he noticed Will. "Did you find the flower I mentioned?" Will nodded, and handed it to the man. "Wonderful! This should make this poor boy feel better. I've been thinking, and I think that the imprint may work: the guys become a lot more docile than he was after his last master died, generally a sign of a bond. Why don't you come back after the battle, we'll see if it worked."

"I'd be happy too." Will said, before taking his leave and catching up with Alistair. He heard Jory talking as he came up the ramp.

"The more I hear about this Joining the less I like it." Jory said, pacing back and forward. Davith looked up from where he was leaning against a pillar.

"Are you blubbering again?" he hissed at Jory, who glared at him.

"What's with all these damned tests? Have I not earned my place?"

"Maybe it's tradition, or maybe their just doing it to annoy you." Davith's voice dripped with sarcasm as he said this. Will glanced at Alistair, who was watching the argument uncomfortably.

"All I know is I have a wife with child back in Redcliffe and… and it doesn't seem fair." He glanced at Alistair, who averted his gaze.

"Would you have come if they had warned you?" Davith hissed, glaring at Jory. "Maybe that's why they _don't_. The Wardens do what they must."

"Including sacrificing us?" Jory asked furiously.

"I'd sacrifice a lot more to end the Blight!" Davith said, taking a step forward. Jory started to respond in kind, but Will beat him too it.

"Enough! Both of you, stand down!" They both looked at him, their mouths open. "Arguing and fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. We're in this together, let's not make it worse."

"A wise attitude, William." Duncan said quietly as he entered the area. Everyone turned to look at him. He held a large stone goblet. His voice took on a slow, ritual tone. "At last we come to the Joining." He walked slowly to the alter, carefully placing the goblet on it's worn surface. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood, and mastered their taint." Will nodded, he had been expecting this.

"We're going to drink the blood of those… those creatures?" Jory, it appeared, hadn't.

"As the first Wardens did before us, and as we did before you. This, is the source of our power, and our victory." Duncan said firmly.

"Grey Wardens are immune to the Darkspawn Taint." Alistair said, stepping forward. "We also gain a measure of the darkspawn's speed, stamina and strength, as well as being able to sense them."

"That's what you mean by paying a price, isn't it?" Will asked slowly. "This Taint is normally fatal, so we could die during this Joining?" Duncan and Alistair nodded. An uncomfortable silence filled the air for a moment, before Davith spoke up.

"Maybe some of us will die. Maybe we'll all die. If no-one stops the Blight, we'll die for sure." Duncan nodded again, before turning to Alistair.

"We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but they have been spoken since the first. Alistair, if you would?" The younger warden slowly bowed his head.

"_Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us, in the shadows, were we stand vigilant. Join us, as we uphold the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten, and that one day, we shall join you._"

Duncan nodded, before taking up the goblet again. "Davith, step forward." After he had done so, Duncan handed him the goblet. "From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden." Davith raised the goblet and took a drink, while Will caught a glimpse of the sickly black liquid within. Duncan took to goblet back, and for a moment, nothing happened.

Then, quite suddenly, Davith doubled over, gripping his stomach. He then let out a terrible, heart-wrenching scream. He looked up, and both Will and Jory jerked back when they saw his eyes, they were pure white, no sign of pupils. "Maker's breath." Jory swore, but Will just watched in silence.

"I'm sorry, Davith." Duncan said quietly, as the rouge fell to his knees, choking and clutching is throat. Will realized that he wasn't going to make it, and could only bow his head as he heard Davith breath his last. Duncan decided not to waste any time. "Step forward, Jory."

The knight, however, backed away. "I have a wife, a child, had I known!" he stammered desperately. Duncan walked inexorably towards him.

"There is no turning back."

"NO! You ask too much!" Jory gibbered, drawing his sword. Duncan slowly handed the goblet to Alistair, drawing his knife. "There is no glory in this!" He took a desperate swing at Duncan, but the Warden Commander was just too good. He easily pushed the blow aside, stepped in close, and ran Jory through.

"I am sorry," he whispered, before pulling the blade out and stepping back. Jory fell to the floor, dead. And then, suddenly, Will was alone.

"William, step forward." Duncan said, taking the goblet back. Will nodded, gently taking what might be his last drink. The blood's taste was indescribably horrible. "From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden." For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, the pain hit. It was different from anything Will had ever experienced. Voices, countless millions of voices, screamed in unison, and Will couldn't understand if they were in his head, or all around him. Visions flashed before his eyes; visions of blood, of death, of suffering. His limbs alternated between excruciating pain and simply not existing. Faintly, he felt his knees hit the chipped stone of temple floor.

'This is it, I'm dying,' he whispered to himself. He wondered what would happen, would he be able to see those who had gone before, or would he just cease to exist?

'Don't you dare give up!' a voice hissed in the back of his head. 'It's not your time to die! You have too much left to do. Now FIGHT!' If Will had had a body, he would have forced himself to nod, before focusing his strength. He drew himself together and started gathering his magic. He cast metaphorical shields, knit together his spiritual wounds, bathed his mental foe in flames.

'This is my body! I will not bow! I will not yield! I! WILL! SURVIVE!' And for a brief, glorious moment, he saw the world around him, saw the bodies of his companions, and saw Duncan and Alistair. In that moment, he knew that he truly was a Grey Warden. Then, exhaustion claimed him, and he fell back, asleep before he hit the ground.

(Codex: Darkspawn)

_Those who had sought to claim _

_Heaven by violence destroyed it. _

_What was Golden and pure turned black. _

_Those who had once been mage-lords, _

_The brightest of their age, _

_Were no longer men, but monsters. -Threnodies_ 12:1.

Sin was the midwife that ushered the darkspawn into this world. The magisters fell from the Golden City, and their fate encompassed all our world's. For they were not alone. No one knows where the darkspawn come from. A dark mockery of men, in the darkest places they thrive, growing in numbers as a plague of locusts will. In raids, they will often take captives, dragging their victims alive into the Deep Roads, but most evidence suggests that these are eaten. Like spiders, it seems darkspawn prefer their food still breathing. Perhaps they are simply spawned by the darkness. Certainly, we know that evil has no trouble perpetuating itself. The last Blight was in the Age of Towers, striking once again at the heart of Tevinter, spreading south into Orlais and east into the Free Marches. The plagues spread as far as Ferelden, but the withering and twisting of the land stopped well beyond our borders. Here, darkspawn have never been more than the stuff of legends. In the northern lands, however, particularly Tevinter and the Anderfels, they say darkspawn haunt the hinterlands, preying on outlying farmers and isolated villages, a constant threat. _-From _Ferelden: Folklore and History_, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar._

_AN: Fun stuff. While uploading this, I took the liberty of correcting some of the mistakes I found in previous chapters. I would be very grateful if the readers would point out any other mistakes, so I can fix them too. School has started for me, so updates will be even more sporadic. Please hang with me._

_(Persuade) Will you please review?_


	7. The Rage of War

Review Response:

Jaden Anderson: Thank you for your kind words of support :) It means a lot to me. Though I think you meant Surana, Will is an elf, though Amell does play a part in the story. As for romance, yes there will be some, and I have it all planned out. Hope you continue to read and enjoy.

Chapter 6: The Rage of War

Will gazed around in horror. As far as the eye could see was a seething mass of raging monsters. However, his attention was drawn to a distant point, which somehow seemed the focus of the entire area. At that point, stood a massive creature. It roared, shaking Will to his core. His sight suddenly seemed sharper, as he was able to see the beast in horrifying detail. It's eyes turned to look at him, and Will took an involuntary step back at the raging hate he saw in those eyes. He tried to break eye contact, but the beast held him, paralyzed, in its gaze.

'Get me out of here! GET ME OUT OF HERE!' Will thought desperately, trying to back away. The monster seemed to grow larger, obscuring everything else. Will finally managed to close his eyes, desperately trying to wrench himself away. Blackness consumed him.

Will gasped as he finally opened his physical eyes. The first thing he saw was Duncan and Alistair watching him. Both seemed very relieved.

"Finally, you are awake. How do you feel?" Duncan asked quietly, offering Will a hand to get up. Will shook his head.

"I watched one man die by Darkspawn poisoning, another get stabbed to death because he didn't have the guts to go through with the ritual, then drank the single nastiest drink ever, almost died, and then got to see a massive monster that tried to destroy my soul. I'm just _peachy_." Will grumbled, taking Duncan's hand and getting up. The older man shook his head.

"Davith was correct. If the Blight is not stopped, then all of Thedas will be threatened, with countless lives lost. We Grey Wardens are the greatest weapon the world has against the horde, and, sadly, that means that we must make sacrifices." Duncan closed his eyes for a moment. "Sir Jory knew what he was getting into, knew that there was no turning back. I took no pleasure in what had to be done."

"Normally, Joinings go a bit better than this." Alistair spoke up, his voice shaking slightly. "In mine, only one died, though that was still horrible." He glanced at Will. "For a moment, we thought you were going to die too. I'm really glad you made it."

"Take some time, William." Duncan said quietly, stepping back. "You were unconscious for almost four hours, and you'll have to get used to some… changes. Come by my fire when your ready, I'll have something for you to do." With that, he turned and left. Alistair was about to follow, but stopped.

"Here, this is for you," he said, handing Will a small necklace with a small stone on the end. "It's tradition to take some of the blood from the Joining and put it into a… a charm of sorts. This is the object that identifies you as a Grey Warden, as well as being a reminder of… those who didn't make it." He nodded, and then turned to follow his mentor.

Will stood silently, gripping the object in his hand. Glancing down, he noticed the shape of a griffin carved into the obsidian stone, as well as words carved around the end: 'In peace, vigilance. In war, victory. In death, sacrifice.' Will glanced around the temple area, before wandering over towards the ramp, uncertain what to do with himself. He felt a bit sore from lying on the ground for several hours, and cast Heal on himself without thinking. He kept walking for a moment before stopping. He had just cast Heal, a spell he had always had trouble with, instantly, silently, and with more effectiveness than he ever had before. How had he done that?

Shaken, he tried again. Yes, it hadn't been a fluke. He had somehow become better at casting. Perhaps this was one of the "changes" that Duncan had mentioned. Will shook his head, and then glanced at his staff. It looked just as dark and forbidding as it had when he had pried it from the Emissary's fingers, and it didn't feel any more welcome to his hand. He then remembered that there were other mages here. Maybe one of them had a spare staff he could have.

'Though,' he though, 'Now that I'm tainted too, this staff should be just perfect for me.' With that cheerful thought in his head, he wandered over towards where the mages were camped out.

"Hold it, I'm afraid…" One of the Templar guarding the area stepped forward, but stopped when he saw Will's staff. "I'm afraid I don't recognize you, mage. You weren't with the other mages when they arrived, who are you?"

"William Surana, Grey Warden." Will said simply, not interested in getting into a discussion with a Templar. However, it was not to be.

"What do you want here, Warden?" The templar sounded suspicious. Will sighed.

"I was hoping to find a staff, this one is unresponsive." This was partially true; Will didn't feel the normal warmth that came from a powerful magical object from the staff, even though he was sure he could make it work if he had to. The templar stiffened, and was probably opening his mouth behind his helmet before another voice interrupted them.

"What's going on here?" Wynne asked as she quietly came up behind the templar. She glanced at Will. "Never mind, I'll deal with this." The templar looked like he was going to argue, but apparently decided that it wasn't worth the effort, because he walked back to his post. "Hello, William." Wynne said, smiling slightly. "So, are you a full Warden now?" Will nodded, and Wynne's smile faded. "What's bothering you?"

"I was just remembering Davith and Jory, neither of them made it." There was a moment of silence after this, before Wynne spoke quietly.

"My condolences, William." She patted him on the shoulder gently, before asking "If I may ask, why are you over here?"

"I was actually hoping that there was a spare staff around here I could have, my one broke, and the quick replacement I grabbed isn't very good." Wynne smiled again.

"You had that staff for a week and you were already able to break it? Why am I not surprised?" Will grinned sheepishly; early in his time at the tower, he had gained a bit of a reputation for damaging the small trainer staves and wands, generally because he focused too much power through them. "But that staff you have now, is it a Darkspawn staff?" Will nodded. "The Circle has long been collecting those, they don't operate on lyrium, and were trying to figure out what does power them."

"Possibly blood," Will suggested, pulling the staff out and studying it. "There's plenty on it." He glanced back at Wynne. "So, can I trade this for a more normal staff?" Wynne nodded.

"Wait here, I'll get one for you." Wynne carefully took the Darkspawn staff from Will, before turning and heading back into the Magi area. After a few minutes, she returned, holding a well-made staff consisting of two intertwined rods of metal, ending with a pair of snakeheads, which were holding a small gem in their mouths. Will raised his eyebrow.

"Bit nice for a mage my age, don't you think?" he quipped. Wynne smiled.

"It wasn't being used, its wielder was killed by a lucky darkspawn arrow in the last battle. Besides, you proved yourself capable of wielding a staff like this almost two years ago, it was just the fact that these things are never given to apprentices." She handed the staff to him, and he felt the warmth flood through his hand. "Use it well, William. As a Grey Warden." With that, she turned and left.

Will stood silently for a moment, simply lost in thought. Then, he turned and headed back towards Duncan's fire. However, when he arrived, there was no one in sight.

'He'll probably be back soon.' Will thought, as he sat against a pillar. He had intended to simply meditate while he waited, but he had underestimated how tired he was. A few moments after he closed his eyes, he drifted of to sleep.

* * *

><p>"William." Will jerked awake, glancing up from where he had been sitting and saw Duncan.<p>

"Yes?" he asked quickly, getting to his feet. Duncan studied him for a moment before continuing.

"You know, if you were tired, there are some tents over there." He pointed behind him, and Will blushed slightly.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, si… Duncan." Will said quickly, "I was just going to wait for you, but I must have been more tired than I thought." Duncan nodded.

"Very well. I was actually hoping you would be here. I'm on my way to a strategy meeting with the King and Teyrn Loghain. You were also invited to come."

"Why would they want to talk to me?" Will asked, cocking his head. Duncan shrugged.

"I mentioned to King Cailin that you were the only one who passed the Joining, and he seemed rather impressed by that fact, and decided that you should be invited." He gestured Will to follow him, and the two set of deeper into the ruins of Ostagar. "I don't mean to insult your intelligence, William, but I feel it would be best if you avoided speaking as much as you could. Teyrn Loghain will probably be the one coming up with most of the plan, and he is… not as supportive of the Wardens as King Cailin is." Will raised his eyebrow.

"Why is that?" Duncan shook his head, and was about to answer before the two Wardens heard raised voices from the place where the meeting was taking place.

"Loghain, my decision is final!" the King was shouting. Will glanced around the area as he and Duncan entered. Standing in front of a table were King Cailin and another man. With long, dark hair, shadowed eyes, and a severe expression, he was almost certainly Teyrn Loghain. He and Cailin were both wearing their armor, but while the king's was golden, shining even in the pre-dusk, Teyrn Loghain's was a very dark grey, almost black. Standing off to one side was an old woman in gold and red Chantry robes, probably the Revered Mother. Standing a short ways away was someone Will had been hoping never to see again, Senior Enchanter Uldred. While Senior Enchanter Ivan was simply a jerk to anyone he didn't like, Uldred seemed friendly when one first met him. However, Will had always felt… nervous, around him. He couldn't help but notice Uldred seemed to be watching the argument between the two nobles with a calculating expression.

"You risk too much, Cailin." Teyrn Loghain said in a grave voice. His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced over Cailin's shoulder and watched Duncan and Will enter the area. The two silently moved around the table so that they were out of the way. "The Darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front lines." The King stiffened.

"If _that_ is the case, then maybe we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us, after all!" he hissed, glaring at Teyrn Loghain. The Teyrn shook his head.

"I must repeat my protests to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves!" he said, turning and walking a short distance away from the king in frustration.

"That is not a _fool notion_!" King Cailin said, shaking his head furiously. "Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past." His eyes narrowed. "And you will remember who is king!" Teyrn Loghain sighed.

"How fortunate Maric did not live to see his son ready to hand Fereldan over to those who enslaved us for a century!" he said coldly.

"It seems, then, that our current forces will have to suffice." Cailin said shortly, before turning back to the table, which Will saw was scattered with maps. "Duncan, are your men ready for battle?" he asked, glancing at the Warden Commander, who nodded in response.

"They are, your majesty." King Cailin smiled widely, and then looked at Will. "Ah, William, wasn't it. I'm glad to hear that you made it into the Wardens." Will shrugged slightly.

"Thank you, your majesty." King Cailin looked like he was about to continue, but Teyrn Loghain interrupted.

"Your fascination with _glory _and_ legends_ will be your undoing, Cailin. We must attend to _reality_." The king looked frustrated for a moment, before looking down at the maps on the table.

"Fine, speak your strategy." Teyrn Loghain joined the king at the table, and Duncan and Will stepped up to the other side. "So the Grey Wardens and myself will draw the Darkspawn into an attack on our line, here at the old gate." Cailin pointed to the relevant point on the map.

"Then," Teyrn Loghain continued, "You shall signal the group in the Tower of Ishal when the horde is committed, who will light a beacon. I will have taken a section of our force over here, and when we see the beacon…"

"You'll flank the darkspawn!" King Cailin finished "We'll catch them between us, and destroy the majority of the horde." He straitened up. "But who shall light this beacon?"

"I have a few men stationed in the tower." Teyrn Loghain said quietly. "It's not a dangerous task, but it is a vital one."

"Then we should ensure that it is done." Cailin said firmly. "I recommend that we send the Wardens Alistair and William to be at the tower as well." The reaction to this statement was immediate. Teyrn Loghain's eyes narrowed furiously, though there was something else in his eyes that Will couldn't quiet place. Duncan stiffened, studying the King curiously. Will glanced at Duncan, silently asking permission to speak. He nodded slowly, and Will stepped forward.

"If I may speak, your Majesty, then if what Teyrn Loghain said is true, and this duty is not particularly dangerous, either Alistair or myself could do it alone, and the army could have another Warden." Cailin shook his head.

"No, it is best if both of you go." Will cocked his head slightly, trying to work through the King's logic. Why was it so essential that two Wardens, one a mage, do what basically seemed like babysitting. Duncan on the other hand, seemed to know what was going on, and didn't like it one bit. Neither, it seemed, did Teyrn Loghain.

"You rely on these Grey Wardens too much, Cailin." The Teyrn's eyes narrowed coldly. "Is that truly wise?" King Cailin seemed affronted.

"Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain!" he said sharply. "The Grey Wardens fight the Darkspawn, and in case it has escaped your notice, that is what we are fighting now. They are _on our side_!" The two glared at each other for a moment, and Duncan seemed to decide it would be best to steer the debate in a different direction.

"Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of the Archdemon making an appearance." At those words, a shudder seemed to pass through Will's body, as if some instinct in him was telling him to shy away from the word Archdemon.

Teyrn Loghain scoffed. "There have been no sightings of dragons in the Wilds." The King, on the other hand, looked surprised.

"Isn't that what your men are here for, Duncan?" The Warden Commander stiffened.

"I…" Duncan sighed inaudibly, before continuing in a softer voice. "Yes, your Majesty." Cailin looked satisfied, but Teyrn Loghain kept glaring at Duncan. Then, another voice cut in.

"Your Majesty, the Tower and its beacon are unnecessary." Uldred stepped forward. "The Circle could…" However, he was interrupted.

"We will not trust any lives to your spells, _mage_." The Revered mother said coldly, glaring at Uldred. Will's eyes narrowed in frustration. He wanted to scream at that arrogant woman that mages were not monsters. Not that she or anyone else would listen. "Save them for the Darkspawn." Uldred didn't look happy either, but Teyrn Loghain interrupted before he could retaliate.

"Enough! This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light the beacon." It seemed that the worst of the arguing was over, seeing as people started relaxing.

"Thank you, Loghain. I cannot wait for that glorious moment when the Grey Wardens and the King of Fereldan ride forth together to stem the tides of darkness!"

Teyrn Loghain turned and started walking away, but paused for a moment. "Indeed, a glorious moment for us all." For some reason, Will felt a sudden, unreasonable chill at those words. There was something wrong with the way the Teyrn had spoken.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, Duncan and Will were back at the main fire, and Alistair had joined them. He was no happy with the plan the King and Teyrn Loghain had come up with.<p>

"What!" he shouted, "I won't be in the battle?" Duncan shook his head slightly, and Will was surprised at Alistair's vehemence. He himself was not opposed to battle, but was quiet willing to avoid a fight. Alistair, on the other hand, seemed to almost consider it a personal insult.

Duncan sighed. "Alistair, this is by the King's personal request. If the beacon is not lit, then Teyrn Loghain's men won't know when to charge." Alistair's eyes narrowed.

"So he needs two Grey Wardens up there, holding the torch, just in case."

"Alistair's got a point, Duncan." Will said quietly. "It seems that we could make a bigger difference in the battle."

"This is out of our hands." Duncan said firmly, holding up a hand. "If the King wishes for Grey Wardens to be in the tower, then Grey Wardens shall be there." He glanced between the two. "We have a duty to do what it takes to destroy the darkspawn, exiting or no."

"I get it." Alistair sighed. "Just so you know, however, if the King asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line, darkspawn or no." Will couldn't help but snicker slightly at the mental image that arose.

"How long do we have before the battle starts?" he asked. Duncan turned to him.

"The battle itself starts soon, within the next half hour. However, your role will not begin until after the horde is committed. Still, you must hurry. It is true that we are not expecting trouble in the tower, but still, this mission is important enough that you must remain vigilant." Duncan gestured behind him, where a pair of packs were sitting on a bench. "Here are some emergency supplies, just in case things go badly. Also, the treaties you recovered are there. Since you two are less likely to be attacked, I think it is best if you held on to them." Will nodded, and he and Alistair grabbed their packs. Duncan glanced up at the sky. "We part ways here. Hurry to the Tower of Ishal."

"Duncan." Alistair said quietly. "Maker watch over you." Duncan nodded.

"May he watch over us all."

* * *

><p>Duncan sighed as he walked out onto the scaffolding along the old "corridor" leading to the gate. Arrayed before him was almost half of the King's Army, looking nervous. He could hear the barking of the countless Mabari hounds in and among the men and women, as well as the chanted prayers of the Sisters, trying to comfort the troops. Silently, he picked out his Wardens, placed at key locations along the line. All were in their places. He glanced back up at the bridge overlooking the canyon, seeking out the Taint in Alistair and William. There they were, watching.<p>

Finally, he turned to look out at the Wilds. He could sense the Darkspawn massing out there, but even had he not been able to, the sickly mist would have alerted him to their presence. There were many, but that was to be expected. Duncan slowly walked up to King Cailin, who was standing at the edge of the scaffold.

"Duncan." The king's voice was quiet, even he was struck with the gravity of the situation. He turned back to Duncan, and he looked nervous. Duncan silently wished that Teyrn Loghain had been able to convince the king to stay out of the worst of the fighting, the Grey Wardens might never recover from the scandal of the King dying on their watch. It was like that mess with Genevieve.

"The plan will work, your Majesty." 'Yes,' Duncan thought. 'Focus on that, Teyrn Loghain is a brilliant general, he knows what he is doing.' However, Duncan couldn't help but feel something was going to go very wrong.

"Of coarse it will! The Blight ends here!" Cailin said firmly, turning back to the Wilds. Duncan silently moved to stand beside him, and waited.

A rumbling started, and the mist began to spread out of the wild. Then, shapes started to exit the fell mist, dozens, then hundreds of them. The Horde had arrived.

The reaction among the gathered army of Fereldan was immediate. Mutters, cries, and even a few curses as soldiers stepped on the feet of those behind them. King Cailin muttered a curse under his breath, obviously surprised by the sheer size of the horde. Duncan remained silent, watching.

* * *

><p>The Vanguard pushed it's way through the horde as it moved to the rock jutting out, which would give it a vantage point to survey the army of the Surfacers. It could hear its bloodlust singing in its veins, calling for a slaughter of the frightened mass it surveyed. However, it forced those thoughts down. There would be time for that in a moment. It had to wait for its master's order.<p>

"Your will?" it asked mentally, reaching through the Taint to the Archdemon, still safely sequestered underground. No need for him to show himself yet.

"Do what you were born to, Vanguard." The reply came almost instantly, prompting the Vanguard to raise its hand, let out a roar, and signaled the attack. A wave of death charged across the diseased land before Ostagar, roaring and screeching their desire to kill. The Vanguard grinned murderously as it joined the rush, its powerful legs allowing it to pass up the various Genlocks, Hurlocks, Shrieks, and Ogres under its command. He heard the human leader cry out, calling his archers to fire into the horde. A futile effort, for every Darkspawn that fell to the humans' arrows, a dozen more were ready to take its place. The king then called for his dogs, which had more of an impact, though the Vanguard took great satisfaction in killing the one that tried to leap onto it. Finally, the human lord ordered his forces to engage. The Vanguard was stunned by his foolish audacity: had the army stayed behind their barricades, this might have actually been a challenge. They were making this easy.

The Vanguard shrieked as it started its rampage, a distant part of its mind hoping that the fools like the surprise that should be surfacing any minute now.

* * *

><p>Will and Alistair watched as the Darkspawn charged the Fereldan lines, while massive flaming boulders flew from hidden siege engines in the forest.<p>

"Come on!" Alistair shouted over the roar of the battle. "We have to hurry to the Tower of Ishal!" Will nodded, and the two sprinted across to bridge, avoiding more than one massive flying stone cast by the Darkspawn. However, they were met with a shock on the other side.

"You, you're the Grey Wardens?" A pair of soldiers had come sprinting from the direction of the Tower of Ishal, looking flushed. Blood splattered their armor, and one was limping. "The tower, it's been taken!" Will and Alistair came too a halt.

"What are you talking about? Taken how?" Alistair shouted, looking nervous.

"The monsters came up from under the ground, they're everywhere. Most of our men are dead." Will and Alistair looked at each other, realizing that the army was suddenly in very big trouble.

"We have to take it back!" Will hissed, drawing his new staff. Alistair nodded, grabbing his weapons as well. The two guards glanced at the Wardens, before nodding and taking out their weapons; a crossbow and a sword and shield. The four charged back up the ramp into the grounds of the Tower.

Will heard cries of pain, before seeing an unfortunate soldier flying back and hitting a wall, blood trickling from his chest. Rounding the corner, Will saw another soldier trying desperately to hold two Hurlocks off, while a Genlock snuck up on him. The small darkspawn didn't get very far, as an Arcane Bolt tore a hole in its chest. Alistair, meanwhile, rushed up to alleviate some of the pressure on the remaining guard.

"Head that way. We'll meet up on the other side." Will hissed to the two guards, catching a glimpse of a trio of darkspawn coming from the side, and a fourth, this one an archer, taking position on the scaffolding. The two hesitated for a moment, before following his instructions. Will quickly took out the archer, before turning and running to Alistair, who was about to engage another group. A stream of fire annihilated the core of the force, and an icy fist killed another darkspawn archer. Meanwhile, Alistair and the soldier he had saved killed the stunned remnants of the advancing darkspawn group.

"Quickly, quickly!" Alistair called, rushing forward. The soldier was about to follow him, before Will directed him to help the other two. He and Alistair pushed forward, taking out another group with ease before reaching the ramp leading to the courtyard in front of the Tower. An Alpha roared at them, while more darkspawn formed up behind it.

"What now?" asked one of the survivors, who had rejoined the Wardens. Will's eyes narrowed.

"One moment." Will raised his staff, and flame started to curl along it, building up on the gem at the head. With a cry, Will flung the ball of flame, which flew past the Alpha and hit one of its minions. The resulting explosion threw Darkspawn every direction, and the stunned Alpha was killed before it could stand. The humans and elf quickly dashed up and defeated the remaining enemies.

"You." Will said quickly, pointing to the crossbowman. "Do you know where Teyrn Loghain is stationed?" After a nod, he continued. "Run to him, tell him what happened, and let him know that he needs to play some speed-chess. Be careful." Pausing for a moment, the man nodded and ran off. The remaining four entered the Tower of Ishal.

They found a nightmare within. It appeared that the soldiers had been preparing to hold the tower from an attack through the front door, with barriers and oil traps. Unfortunately, Darkspawn now manned these defenses. However, the single Hurlock Emissary that could set off the fires was trapped in a Force Field, and the Wardens and soldiers quickly overran the three archers, before surrounding the Emissary and slaying it moments after it left stasis.

"More approaching!" Alistair shouted, and true to his word, a group of seven Darkspawn sprinted through the door. Again, though, Will's ability to cause destruction evened the odds, with only three of the darkspawn surviving the jet of fire he blasted through the door.

But, almost as if to prove a point, these three still proved to be deadly. Alistair and one of the soldiers easily overwhelmed the first two, but the third got off a lucky slash on the second guard before Will could save him. The Hurlock was frozen and shattered a second later, but the damage was done, the guard fell to his knees, clutching the stump where his hand should have been.

"Stay here." Will hissed, using Heal to close the wound, "And pray that no more darkspawn come." He wished that there was more he could do, but the beacon needed to be lit, in case the messenger didn't make it to Loghain.

In the next room, they found the massive hole where the Darkspawn had entered. Bodies, some 'spawn, but mostly human, littered the area. The single Genlock in the area was killed almost instantly, and the Wardens and their support continued on.

"What is going on!" Alistair hissed. "The Darkspawn shouldn't have been able to get here. The Tower was supposed to be secure!"

"Stop it, Alistair." Will hissed, incinerating another darkspawn before ducking behind his shield to avoid a pair of archers. The two melee fighters rushed forward and eliminated the threat. "What's happened has happened, and now we have to make the best of it. Besides," he grinned, glancing at the older Warden. "Weren't you complaining about not getting to fight earlier." Alistair glanced at him.

"I guess your right." He gave a weak smile, but didn't quite manage it. The group continued for a while, killing several small packs before reaching a long corridor. "Hold up." Alistair said urgently. "There's a large number of Darkspawn coming this way. We need to find a choke-point."

"Begging your pardon, Wardens." The soldier spoke up. "There's a ballista that was moved into the tower just over that way, it might help." Will glanced around, making some quick calculations.

"You two, get that ready. I'm going to hit them before they get here, then pull back to this point. One shot from the ballista, then move to melee, there won't be any time to reload." The other two nodded, and quickly ran to the ballista and started dragging it into position and Will ran off in the direction of the Darkspawn. There were about fifteen of them, including an Alpha. They had obviously sensed his approach, seeing as the five archers quickly fired as he glanced around the corner. Will made a mental note to ask Alistair why he couldn't sense them, but took comfort in the fact that the pack obviously wasn't expecting a mage, and about six of them fell to his first fireball. The remaining monsters roared and rushed after the fleeing Will, who stopped for a brief second the throw an Arcane Bolt at the last archer, who died instantly.

Alistair and the other guard had gotten the ballista positioned while he was away, and after Will dove into cover and the darkspawn rounded the corner, they fired. The Alpha, which had been leading the charge, was hit by the massive bolt, which passed completely through it, through the Hurlock behind it, and then finally penetrated the head of a Genlock. Will, meanwhile, had thrown another fireball, but this time the Alpha had spread its troops out, so only three died. This still only left three, which were easily dispatched.

"Let's go." Alistair said quickly, moving forward past Will. "Duncan and the King are depending on us to get that beacon lit." Will nodded, and the three pressed on. Ahead, they heard, suddenly, the sounds of battle. Glancing at each other, they hurried up.

They found a small group of humans, along with a pair of mabari, vs. a fairly large group of darkspawn. The hounds were doing fairly well, one had pounced on a Hurlock and was ripping its throat out, and the other was keeping three Genlocks at bay. The humans were not doing has well, having to deal with a Genlock Alpha, which was not as tough as its Hurlock brothers, but was much faster and carried two weapons. As Will watched, it killed one woman and swiftly slashed another that was trying to flank it. The other 'spawn were fighting the few remaining guards, but a couple noticed the Wardens' arrival. The Alpha turned to look at them, before barking. All but the Alpha and three other Genlocks turned to face Alistair and Will. A fireball killed several, and Will then started twisting tendrils of fire around Alistair as he and the random guard kept the enemy from overwhelming him. Unfortunately, while this was happening, the Alpha managed to kill all the humans, and only one dog remained, though they had taken out most of the other Genlocks. The Genlock Alpha, however, suddenly vanished.

"I can't sense it!" Alistair called, looking desperately around for the stealthed foe. Will smirked, before throwing a fireball at where the Alpha had been, then sending streams of fire all throughout the room. Most, obviously, missed, but one connected, and with a cry of pain, the Alpha reappeared, having been trying to sneak up on Alistair. The guard, being closer, brained it with his mace. The mabari, meanwhile, had leapt upon the final darkspawn and gnawed its throat out as well.

"Well done, all. We should be almost to the top of the tower." Will said, quickly moving towards the door, followed by Alistair, the guard, and the mabari. They came across another curved corridor, with many doors along the wall.

"Hold, there are several groups of darkspawn in those rooms, they're probably waiting to ambush us." Will nodded, before gesturing to the nearest door, miming opening it and throwing in a fireball. The others nodded, and Will moved to his position on one side of the door, Alistair on the other, and the guard and mabari nearby. Alistair booted the door open, and Will threw in the fireball. Quickly, the four entered, killing the only survivor. A roar was heard outside, and several doors crashed open. Alistair and the guard quickly blocked the door, while Will started shooting over their heads. There were almost twenty enemies, but most were Genlocks, and Alistair and the guard were strong enough to hold them back as Will killed them, at least for a while. Eventually, the guard was forced to fall back, not having Alistair's Taint-augmented strength. Alistair pulled back as well, and while Alistair and the mabari killed the few darkspawn that were able to force their way in, Will threw one last fireball out into the corridor, finishing off the remaining enemies.

"Ok, one more set of stairs, then we'll be at the top." Alistair said thankfully, and the group quickly left, before the mabari suddenly started growling. "What is it, boy?"

"Must be another stealthed enemy nearby." Will said slowly, raising his hand. The group listened intently, unconsciously moving to cover each other's backs. Will suddenly jerked, lashing out with a wave of fire at the empty air to his right. Another one of the clawed creatures, like the one that had broken his staff, screeched in pain, but survived the flames and rushed Will. Alistair intercepted it, and there was an outbreak of barking behind Will, and he turned to see a second monster being tackled by the mabari. The Shriek's claws lashed out, slashing the dog along it's flank, but the guard had taken the time to smash it with his mace, stunning it until Will froze it to death. Not bothering to speak, the group rushed on, Will sparing a moment to heal the mabari hound. They reached the final staircase a moment later, and rushed up.

"The fu…" Will gasped as he came to a halt. Standing in the center of the room, feasting on a corpse, was the single largest creature that Will had ever seen. Almost three times as tall as he was and much more broad. Massive horns jutted out from its heads, and it wore ugly, spiked bit of armor. Seeming to sense their presence, it turned to look at them. Its face was ugly and scabbed, tiny rage-filled eyes glaring at the intruders.

"Ogre." Alistair said quietly "Be careful, it's incredibly strong, and more than capable of crushing you in it's fist, so avoid its grip at all costs." The Ogre roared furiously, before charging.

"Spread out, it can only chase one of us at a time!" Will shouted, trying to freeze the ogre. It started chasing Will around the room, roaring furiously. Alistair, meanwhile, came up behind it in an attempt to hamstring it, but the ogre either heard him or sensed him, because with a sudden kick, it sent Alistair flying. It then stomped towards the downed Warden, preparing to finish him off, but the mabari got in the way, furiously barking. The guard, meanwhile, had grabbed a crossbow and some bolts from one of the fallen soldiers, and was taking aim.

The ogre did not seem to appreciate being distracted from its prey, because it furiously punched at the hound, too fast for the tired dog to dodge. Will winced as he saw the vicious spikes penetrate the dog, knowing that there was nothing he could do for the poor dog. However, it's sacrifice had given Alistair time to get back to his feet, as well as for the guard to launch the first of his bolts. Roaring in annoyance more than pain, the ogre turned to attack this new foe, but was distracted by Will hitting it with a fireball. The searing heat did little damage, but caused a lot of pain. The ogre immediately changed priorities, rushing towards Will. Alistair, meanwhile, was looking for some kind of ranged weapon so as to distract the beast himself.

"Try again, Alistair!" Will shouted desperately, burning the ogre some more. "It's angry, won't be paying any attention to you." This seemed to be the case, as the ogre was completely ignoring the bolts slamming into its chest and arms, focusing on the source of the painful fire.

"Easy for you to say." Alistair muttered, though he did move forward, praying that Will knew what he was doing, for both their sakes.

Will, meanwhile, was getting quite a bit of exercise as he fled the furious beast following him. He would occasionally toss a quick spell over his shoulder to keep its attention, but for the most part focused on survival. However, the almost constant spell casting was catching up to him, and even with the lyrium that he had sipped on occasion and his new Grey Warden stamina, he knew he would not be able to keep ahead for long.

The ogre, it seemed, had other ideas. It stopped suddenly, and dug its fingers into the cracked stone. Will turned, flame seething along his staff, wondering what the ogre was doing. The answer became clear when, muscles bulging, the massive darkspawn yanked a portion of the floor out and hefted the improvised bolder over it's head. Will's eyes widened, and he quickly started running parallel to the ogre, hoping it would miss. The ogre, however, was aware of how to lead a target, and let the rock loose. Will noticed at the last second and desperately reversed direction, bringing up his shield at the same time. The damaged masonry slammed into the ground where Will would have been if he had not reversed, and shattered. The stone flew through the air and slammed into Will's tired shield like a dozen fists.

Will tried, he really did, but the strain was just too much, and the shield shattered, allowing two of the bits of masonry to smash into Will's chest, driving him backwards and onto the floor. The ogre roared in victory as it watched the hated nuisance fall, and prepared to walk over and finish the job. However, in its excitement, it had forgotten about Alistair until it felt the bite of steel. With an earth-shaking bellow, the ogre fell, its legs no longer able to support it. Seconds later, it felt a sharp pain at the base of its neck, and then it knew no more.

Alistair ran over to Will, to make sure he was all right, ordering the guard to light the beacon, because they had surely missed the signal King Cailin sent. Will groaned as he slowly sat up, clutching his chest.

"Are you alright, William?" Alistair asked, crouching down. Will glanced at him.

"I've been better. Don't think anything I need is broken, though." Alistair reached out his hand, and after a moment, Will took it.

Suddenly, a crash was heard, and the door burst open, and a horde of Darkspawn poured in. Alistair desperately tried to bring his shield up, but was too late as several arrows pierced his body. Will faired little better, his instinctive Arcane Shield too weak to block more than one or two arrows. The guard, who had just stood up from lighting the beacon, took an arrow between the eyes, dying instantly. The last thing Will heard before the blackness claimed his was… wings?

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Teyrn Loghain's force, two figures stood, watching the Tower of Ishal light up. One, a woman of perhaps forty, with short brown hair, armor, and a massive sword almost as tall as she was strapped to her back, looked relieved. She glanced up at the man standing beside her, waiting for her lord's command.<p>

Loghain's face was shadowed as he stared for a moment at the lit beacon, seeming to be thinking very hard. Then, he spoke.

"Sound… the retreat." The woman, whose name was Sir Cauthrien, had started to turn as he spoke, but did a double take.

"But, sir, what about the King?" she stammered, staring at Loghain as if hoping he was joking. "Shouldn't we…" Loghain turned suddenly, grasping her wrist.

"Do as I command!" he snarled, glaring at her. She stared at him, unable to believe her ears; her lord was _quitting the field_, when the King was _depending_ on him? She half expected him to start laughing, even though she usually didn't approve of such things. But his face may as well have been carved from black ice. With a jerk, she yanked her hand from his, before turning away.

Loghain listened to Sir Cauthrien walk away, towards the lead elements of his force. "Pull out! All of you, lets move!" There was an outbreak of muttering, but a steady clanking of armor, and he knew his soldiers would obey, as they always did. He glanced back up at the tower, the dancing flames reflected in his eyes. Then, he glanced into the trees between his force and Ostagar, and saw a shadow move silently. Nodding, he turned and followed his troops as they turned north.

* * *

><p>Duncan fought desperately on.<p>

He still couldn't understand what had gone wrong. At first, the battle had progressed as expected, with the Darkspawn slowly pushing back the Fereldan lines, until the signal was sent.

Then, impossibly, inexplicitly, nothing happened at Ishal. At first, Duncan had thought that it was simply a mistake, and ordered the signal sent again. Still no response. The troops had started to lose hope, and some had started to flee, leaving chinks in the wall. The line may have broken then had King Cailin not ordered his personal guard into the battle, stiffening the line.

Six agonizing minutes later, the beacon in the Tower lit up, and Duncan breathed a sigh of relief. There must have been a problem, but Alistair and William had fixed it, and all was not lost. There was still time for Teyrn Loghain to sweep in to the rescue. But he never came.

More warriors were fleeing, realizing that something had gone terribly wrong. The Darkspawn, like a predator scenting blood, had pushed in for the kill. The line shattered, and the battle became a general melee, exactly what the Fereldans had been trying to avoid.

The King was fighting like a lion, his golden armor still somehow gleaming despite the gore being spread by his mighty sword. Duncan was making a good showing of himself as well, killing any darkspawn that came too close. A small knot of knights had formed with them, and the horde broke themselves on their steel like a wave breaking on a rock. Unfortunately, however, though a rock may dull the tide, in the end, the ocean always wins.

Duncan had felt his Wardens die, one by one. Not one retreated, not one panicked, every one died taking dozens if not hundreds of the tainted bastards with them, but still, they died. Now, Duncan stood alone.

Duncan suddenly heard a roar, and turned to see an ogre bearing down on him. He raised his blade, but was too slow. The monster batted him aside, and then Duncan realized that he was not the target. King Cailin turned as well, but had no more fortune defending himself against the mass of diseased muscle that Duncan did. The ogre grabbed the king up in one hand, lifting it close to its face, and roared again. It then drew back its free hand, forming a fist. Duncan tried desperately to stand, knowing that he was far too late.

_ CRACK_

The fist drove forward, punching King Cailin, not only driving over a dozen spines through his face and armor, by also shattering every bone in the king's body. The king was killed instantly. With a horrible bellow, the ogre then flung the king's body into a group of knights. Duncan watched the line, the rock shatter, but was filled with a rage he had not felt in a long time. The king had been a good man, too young to die. Grabbing his weapons, Duncan sprinted, leaping at the ogre. It tried to defend itself, but two blades, a sword and a dagger, drove themselves through it. Duncan then used the weapons to climb higher, until he put his dagger through the ogre's neck, killing it.

Duncan slowly rose, and stumbled mindlessly over to King Cailin's side. Maybe he had heard wrong, maybe the king was still alive. But no, it was not to be. Duncan looked around, watched fleeing men and women cut down by vicious monsters, watched the horde slaughter all in its path. He turned, staring up at the Tower of Ishal.

'Why didn't you come, Loghain?' he thought deliriously, 'Why did you forsake us?' Distantly, his tuned Warden senses informed him of approaching Darkspawn, and he saw the Hurlock Vanguard that had directed the horde charging towards him, holding its sword, murder in its eyes.

'Alistair… Oh, Fiona, forgive me.' Duncan thought as he saw the sword drawing back. 'Please be safe, Alistair. And William, be safe.'

'Save Fereldan, where this foolish old man failed.' The sword swung in a deadly arc, and Duncan, Warden Commander of Fereldan, knew no more.

(Codex: Ostagar)

Representing the furthest point of encroachment by the ancient Tevinter Imperium into the barbarian lands of the southeast, the fortress of Ostagar was once one of the most important defensive holdings south of the Waking Sea. It stood at the edge of the Korcari Wilds watching for any signs of invasion by the barbarians known today as the Chasind wilders. Straddling a narrow pass in the hills, the fortress needed to be by-passed to reach the fertile lowlands to the north and proved to be exceedingly difficult for the wilders to attack because of its naturally defensible position.

Like most imperial holdings in the south, Ostagar was abandoned after Tevinter's collapse during the first Blight. It was successfully sacked by the Chasind wilders and then, as the Chasind threat dwindled following the creation of the modern Ferelden nation, fell to ruin completely.

It has remained unmanned for four centuries, though most of the walls still stand-as does the tall Tower of Ishal, named after the great archon that ordered its construction. Ostagar remains a testament to the magical power of the Imperium that created it.

_-From _Ferelden: Folklore and History_, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar_

_AN: _This chapter was depressing to write. I really like Duncan, he was like Obi-Wan, only more willing to do the dirty work that sometimes has to be done. So please, if possible, have a moment of silence for the poor guy.

Happy Halloween to you all


	8. Picking up the Pieces

Review Response:

Agent 94: Glad you like my choice in people. Yes, there will be romance, and no, it won't be Zevran, that has indeed been done to death. Can you guess who it will be?

Chapter 7: Picking up the Pieces

Will awoke, the roaring of the massive dream-beast still ringing in his ears. The dream had seemed different this time, rather than a threatening shriek, the monster had almost seemed… happy. This worried Will greatly, because if the beast was happy, something bad had probably happened.

All of this was driven from his head, however, as soon as he felt the pain that wracked his body as soon as he tried to move. He groaned, blinking as he tried to get the gunk out of his eyes. He stiffened at the sound of an amused female voice.

"Ah, your eyes finally open. Mother will be pleased." He looked around, trying to find the source. He quickly realized that he was in a small, wooden house, on the only bed in sight. The thing that drew his sigh, however, was the dark-haired woman standing by a small counter in one corner, smirking slightly. Still groggy, Will took a moment to realize that he recognized the woman.

"Morrigan? How, what's going on?" Will groaned sitting up slowly. He felt the sheet covering him slide off, and he shivered as a chill crept over him, and he pulled the blanket back over his bare chest. Morrigan kept smirking.

"You were injured, on top of the Tower. However, Mother was able to save you and your fellow Warden, and she brought you here to be healed." She cocked her head. "You are welcome, by the way." Will shook his head. Then, his head jerked up.

"Wait, did we light the beacon in time? Did the army win?" Morrigan's smile faded, and her voice, surprisingly, softened.

"Are you sure you want to know? The result… may not be to your liking." Will's eyes narrowed, before groaning.

"Alistair and I were too late, weren't we?" Morrigan shook his head slightly.

"Not quite. You made it in time, but your signal was ignored. The man who was to respond to the beacon quit the field when he saw it. The darkspawn did, in fact, win the battle." Will's jaw dropped.

'The signal was ignored? Loghain just _left_?' He shook his head; he had to see if anything had been salvaged. "Were there any survivors? Duncan, the King?" Morrigan sighed.

"I'm afraid not. Some soldiers did flee, early in the battle, but no-one you would be interested in." She glanced towards the door before continuing. "Your friend, he is not taking this well." Will glanced up.

"Alistair made it as well?" Morrigan nodded, grimacing slightly.

"Yes, the foolish, dim-witted one did in fact survive, though I have no idea why Mother bothered to save him, he has done nothing but mop since he awoke."

"He knew Duncan and the other Wardens better than I did, it would affect him more." Will spoke automatically, glancing around, looking for his robe. "Morrigan, what happened to my robe?"

"Yours was damaged beyond repair, but fortunately Mother has some spare ones that you can use." Morrigan grabbed a set of robes from a small chest, tossing them to Will. He stared at her for a moment, until she sighed and turned around. "It's not like I would be seeing anything I haven't before, I did help Mother heal you."

"Well excuse me for being uncomfortable with the idea of a woman I barely know watching me dress." Will grumbled as he started putting his robes on. "So Alistair woke up already, how long was I out?"

"You were unconscious for almost two days, the other was only asleep for a few hours. Though I do wish he would stop blubbering." Will finished putting the robes on, and studied the apostate. It was obvious that she hated Alistair, and he couldn't really figure out why. He also decided that it really wasn't very important at the moment.

"Where is he?" Morrigan turned around, obviously having heard that he was finished.

"Outside by the fire. Mother is there too, she wanted to speak to both of you for some reason." Will nodded.

"I'd better go then, thank you for all your help, Morrigan." She looked taken aback by that.

"I… your welcome, though I didn't really do much, just helped Mother a bit. I'm no healer." Will smiled slightly, she obviously wasn't used to praise. "Before you go, one last thing. While working on you, I couldn't help but notice your arm…" Will's smile froze, and his body tensed.

"You may have saved my life, Morrigan, but forget about that, it's none of your business." Morrigan's mouth opened slightly in surprise at how cold Will's voice was. Will grabbed his staff, which was leaning against the wall, before stalking to the door and leaving.

Outside, Alistair was standing a short distance away from the house, staring out at the small lake. Morrigan's mother (Will was going to have to figure out her name at some point.) She looked at him, before turning to Alistair.

"See, here is your fellow Grey Warden now, all in one piece. You worry too much, young man." Alistair whipped around, and his eyes met Will's. He grinned.

"You, your alive? Ha, I though you were dead for sure." Will raised his eyebrows, Alistair seemed almost deliriously happy at Will's survival.

"I'm not quite that easy to kill." Will said, walking over to Alistair, whose face fell again.

"This doesn't seem real. Duncan dead, King Cailin dead, and if Morrigan's mother hadn't saved us, we would be dead too." Said mother huffed.

"Do not talk about me like I am not here, boy." Both of the Wardens turned to look at the old woman.

"I'm sorry, but we were never told your name." Will said, hoping to placate her. She folded her arms.

"Names are pretty, but useless. However, if you must call me something, then you can call me Flemeth, like the Chaisind do." Will and Alistair both jerked at that statement.

"Flemeth?" Will whispered. She was supposed to be an old Fereldan legend, a maleficare of unbelievable power and age whose daughters haunted the Korcari Wilds. To think that the legends might be true…

"So it's true. You are the Witch of the Wilds." Alistair also appeared nervous. Flemeth, on the other hand, appeared annoyed.

"And so what if I am. I know some magic, magic which has served you two well, in case you have forgotten." She glared at the Wardens. Will found his voice first.

"So, why did you save us, and just us?" Flemeth looked back too him, her face calming.

"Well, we couldn't have all the Grey Wardens dying at once, who would stop the Blight. As for why it was you, you two were the only ones that I could get to in time." Will and Alistair glanced at each other. Alistair looked like he was going to say something, but Flemeth beat him to it. "I am sorry, but your grief must come later. 'In the darkness before vengeance, duty must come now' as my mother once said." She turned back to Will. "It has always been the duty of the Grey Wardens to stand against the Blights, or did that change when I wasn't looking."

"No, but the execution of said duty has just become much more difficult now that Loghain has stabbed us in the back." Will said coldly. "We need a plan, a direction, rather than to just rush off and get ourselves killed too."

"And that's what I still can't figure out!" Alistair said, looking between Will and Flemeth. "Why did Loghain do it? King Cailin was his son-in-law, and he was supposed to be a brilliant general. Why would he just throw away half an army, as well as the Wardens?" Flemeth and Will glanced at each other.

"Who knows? Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature of the deeps." Flemeth said. "Perhaps he thought that the Blight was simply another army that he could out-maneuver. Perhaps he doesn't recognize the true threat."

"The archdemon." Alistair and Will said at the same time.

"Indeed." Flemeth answered.

"But what can we do?" Alistair asked desperately. "We're two junior Wardens. Not even the greatest Wardens have ever killed the archdemon without the armies of a half-dozen nations at their back. Besides, I don't even know how to kill the archdemon. Duncan hinted that there was something special, something that required Wardens, but he never told me what that was."

Did Will's eyes deceive him, or did Flemeth seem… wary. "It seems you have two problems. Raise an army, and kill the archdemon. Perhaps you should focus on one of those before considering the other. Have the Wardens no allies?"

"I don't…" Alistair started, before Will interrupted him.

"Duncan gave us the treaties, remember. We do have allies, the Mages, the Dalish, and Orzammar. " Flemeth smiled, but Alistair looked unconvinced.

"Ok, but we'll need more than that. Loghain isn't likely to stop at just abandoning Ostagar, and if he gets wind of us raising an army, he's going to try to stop us. We need to neutralize him somehow."

"Are there any nobles who might help us, who would oppose Loghain?" Will asked. He had been raised in the Tower, he didn't know a lot about various nobles. Alistair thought for a moment, before his face lit up.

"I know! Arl Eamon! I know him, he's a good man, and respected in the Landsmeet. We can go to him for support."

"And neither he nor his army were at Ostagar." Will said, remembering a conversation he had heard when he arrived with Duncan. "He can help with military matters as well." Flemeth smiled slightly.

"So you are set, then? Ready to be true Grey Wardens?" Will and Alistair glanced at her, before nodding.

"We are. Thank you for everything, Flemeth." Will said. Flemeth nodded in return.

"No, thank you, Wardens. You're the ones who have to end the Blight. Now, before you go, there is one more thing that I can offer you." However, before she could continue, Morrigan came out of the house.

"I put a stew on, Mother." She glanced at Will and Alistair for a moment. "Are we going to have guests for dinner, or not?" Flemeth smirked.

"The Grey Wardens will be leaving soon, Morrigan, and your going with them."

"Oh, such a shame… WHAT?" Morrigan stared at her mother in horror, who laughed slightly in response.

"You've been itching to get out of the Wilds for ages, now here is your chance."

"Well, if Morrigan doesn't want to come…" Will started, before Flemeth interrupted impatiently.

"Her magic will be helpful on the road ahead. Help I'm sure you'll find useful. She should go with you." Morrigan, however, didn't seem ready to give up.

"This isn't how I wanted to…" but again, Flemeth predicted her argument and interrupted her.

"Perhaps not, but it is how you must go. These Wardens have a terrible mission ahead of them, and they are going to need all the help that they can get. If they fail, then the Blight will consume all. Even I." Morrigan stared at her mother for a moment longer, before sighing in defeat.

"Very well, let me get my things." She turned and walked quickly back into the house. Watching her, Will noticed his and Alistair's packs leaning against the wall under a small overhang. Alistair tugged on his arm quickly, gesturing for Will to follow him.

"Are you sure that we should take her?" he asked after they had moved a short distance away. Glancing over Alistair's shoulder, Will noticed that Flemeth looked highly amused at their actions.

"Flemeth's right, Alistair. We need all the help we can get. Besides, if they had wanted to hurt us, they have had ample opportunity. I think Felmeth really does want to end the Blight." Alistair opened his mouth, but Will cut him off. "That's not to say that we trust Morrigan with all our darkest secrets. By all means, keep an eye on her. However, let's try not to antagonize each other too much." Alistair nodded moodily, and there was a silence as they waited for Morrigan. She arrived after a minute, carrying a pack of her own, as well as her crooked staff.

"Very well, Warden." She spoke directly to Will, making it clear that she still didn't like or respect Alistair. "I am at your disposal. My recommendation is that we head for the village of Lothering. 'Tis a small place, but it has many merchants that can sell us the supplies that we need. Or, if you prefer, I can simply be a silent guide. What say you?"

"If you're coming, then you might as well speak your mind. You probably have some good advice." Flemeth laughed at Will's words.

"Oh, you are going to regret saying that, Warden." Morrigan glared in response.

"It is so kind of you to cast me out like this, Mother."

"Well, as I always say, if you want something done, do it yourself, or hear about it for a decade or two afterwards." Will raised his eyebrows slightly.

"But, your not doing this yourself, your sending your daughter out to do it." Flemeth and Morrigan glanced at Will for a moment, and both laughed slightly at his courage to interrupt their "debate".

"Let us be off, Wardens. The best path to Lothering is this way." With that, two Wardens and an Apostate witch set off on a mission to gather an army to end a Blight.

* * *

><p>Two days and several small bands of darkspawn later, Will was praying for some real action. After the horrifying few hours that he had endured as a Grey Warden, things had settled down. At first, Will had been happy about the peace this gave, but he quickly realized that this also gave him more time to think, not something that he really wanted to do at this point. Because whenever he though, he couldn't help but realize that he and Alistair were basically on a suicide mission. Two untested Wardens were expected to gather an army while avoiding likely attempts on their lives by a man willing to murder his own king. Not to mention the horde, which now had free reign since Ostagar had fallen.<p>

And he was stuck with two people who just _would not shut up_!

"Now let's talk about your mother, for a moment." Alistair was saying.

"I'd rather talk about your mother." Will rolled his eyes, didn't those two ever quit?

"There's nothing to talk about." Alistair said quickly, before going back on the offensive. "Besides, isn't your mother a scary witch that lives in the wilderness. Much more interesting, if you ask me."

'Oh shut up, both of you.' Will thought viciously as he heard Morrigan retaliate. All it would take would be one sharp word from him, and they'd be quiet… for about a minute. Will sighed, before his head shot up.

Over the two days they had been traveling, Will had noticed that his Warden senses had been developing. He was glad for this, because he didn't think that Alistair, still engrossed in his argument with Morrigan, had noticed that there was a group of darkspawn approaching.

"Hold it, both of you." Will heard them stop arguing, then the unmistakable sound of Alistair drawing his sword as he noticed what Will had. The group stood in silence for a moment, before they heard… barking?

A dog came sprinting out of the brush, soon followed by a group of darkspawn. There were about twelve of them, lead by an Alpha, which glared at the Wardens. Alistair moved in front of the two mages, setting his shield against his shoulder. Will bared his teeth, and Morrigan started creating a cloud of entropic energy. The mabari, meanwhile, had placed itself in-between Will and the darkspawn, and was barking viciously. The darkspawn line formed up, drawing their various weapons.

The battle started as Will threw a fireball into the largest cluster of darkspawn. They attempted to scatter, but four were still incinerated or wounded beyond the ability to fight. The remaining eight tainted warriors charged, but one was intercepted by the entropic blast that Morrigan had been preparing. Boils started appearing over the monster's body, and after a moment, it exploded in a fountain of blood, knocking one of its companions to the ground. Alistair and the dog moved to intercept, Alistair taking the Alpha, and the dog forcing three of the enemies to abandon their charge on Will or risk having their legs ripped off. Will killed one of the darkspawn that got to him with a blast of fire, and then used his slanted shield to cause the next to stumble past him, tripped it with his staff, then smashed its skull.

Morrigan's defense was no less impressive. A brief flash of light engulfed her, and suddenly her two opponents were facing a massive spider rather than a defenseless woman. The first was caught in a web, stumbling and tripping. The second tried to attack her, but missed and was punished when a pair of massive fangs pierced its flimsy armor and delivered a dose of deadly venom into its blood stream. It perished almost instantly, and Spider Morrigan rushed towards the darkspawn that was struggling against her webbing, and killed it as well.

Alistair was holding his own against the Alpha as they traded blows. The Alpha, however, made the first mistake, when it tried to smash Alistair with its shield. He quickly stepped back, however, and the beast stumbled, leaving itself open to Alistair's retaliatory smash, which further disturbed the Alpha's balance, allowing Alistair to finish it off. The Warden quickly moved to help the mabari hound, which was still holding its ground. Will, meanwhile, had finished off the Genlock that Morrigan's explosion had knocked over, before moving to flank the remaining monsters. One fell to Alistair, one to Will, and the final Hurlock was tackled by the mabari and had its throat ripped out. The dog then leapt off of the body, spat out some of the blood, and turned to Will, who tensed for a moment.

"Wait, I recognize you." Will slowly crouched down, gazing into the mabari's eyes. The dog barked an affirmative, then walked slowly over too Will, bowing its head slightly. Will reached out and gently started stroking the dog's ears.

"Um… William?" Alistair asked. "Why is there a mabari here?" The dog looked haughtily at Alistair, before rubbing its head against Will's hand.

"Remember, just before the Joining, I mentioned having to give something to a sick mabari?" Will said "This is him. The hound master mentioned something about an imprinting, and I think it worked." The mabari barked again, stepping back and gazing at Will adoringly.

"Does this mean we're going to have this mangy mutt following us around?" Morrigan asked, though Will noticed that the usual venom in her voice was absent. Alistair, it appeared, didn't.

"He's not mangy!" Will and the dog glanced at each other, and a silent message seemed to pass between them. Both grinned.

"Say, I don't suppose you could tell me what your name is, boy?" Will asked, and the responding bark sounded an awful lot like laughter. "No? Well I guess I'll have to give you one." Will paused, then smiled. "How about Thunder. That's what your barks sound like: rolling thunder." Thunder barked happily, obviously accepting his new name.

"Let us go." Morrigan snapped, putting her staff away and continuing north, in the direction of Lothering. Alistair hurried forward as well, probably to continue the argument that the darkspawn had interrupted. Will and Thunder shared another glance, and both rolled their eyes. Will followed Morrigan and Alistair, but Thunder ran off for a moment. Will was about to go back for him when he returned, carrying a stick in his mouth. Will grinned, gently pried it from Thunder's mouth, then threw it further up the path, watching the happy mabari sprint after it.

Will grinned. It appeared that there was some truth in the old Fereldan saying: "Whatever ails your soul, a dog will find a way to make it better."

* * *

><p>Almost a day later, the group finally reached the outskirts of Lothering. The first houses they saw showed obvious signs of having been abandoned recently, probably in response to the recent Darkspawn victory at Ostagar. William was leading the way, with Thunder walking at his side. Alistair and Morrigan had finally seemed to run out of things to argue about, and had settled for walking as far from each other as possible. They had finally been able to get onto the old Imperial Highway, which had cut down on their travel time significantly. Still, it was not until they reached the village itself that they found any life.<p>

"Hold up." Will said quietly, coming to a halt. Alistair and Morrigan hurried over to him to see what he had seen. Before them was a cluster of men, all of whom were armed and armored, blocking the ramp down to Lothering. However, their equipment looked old and battered. One of the men, leaning against a pile of boxes, glanced up and saw them. He marched forward, a grin plastered on his face.

"Heads up, gentlemen! More customers to attend to!" he called to his people, who immediately quit whatever they had been doing and lined up, leering to a man. Will counted eleven of them, four archers in the back protected by the melee fighters. Silently, Morrigan and Alistair moved to either side of Will, and Thunder took a step forward so as to be better able to protect his master if necessary.

"Can we help you?" Will asked in a neutral tone. The leader's smirk widened.

"Oh, good sir, you wound me!" he said dramatically to Alistair. "Do you think so little of me that you have your elven servant speak for you?" Will's eyes narrowed, but Alistair spoke calmly.

"Oh, no, he's in charge." That got some reaction from the various humans, mostly scoffs and snickers.

"Oh sorry, my mistake," the leader said, obviously not sorry at all. He turned back to Will. "Well, to business, I'm afraid there is a toll on this here ramp. It's only 20 silvers, so pay up." He held out his hand expectantly. However, one of his minions spoke up.

"Uh, these ones don't look much like those others. Maybe we should just let them pass." All of this was said in a slow, dull voice. The leader groaned, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"The toll applies to everyone. That's why it's called a _toll_ and not, say, a refugee tax." The man's eyes lit up.

"Oh right, even if their not refugees, they still have to pay!" Will rolled his eyes softly, and heard Alistair muttering about highwaymen, which is what this group obviously was.

"Well, if you're toll collectors, then you must have the Bann's seal." Will said in a fake happy voice. The leader glared at him, obviously not used to people talking back to him.

"Oh, I'm afraid I must have misplaced that. Still, doesn't' mean you can get out of paying."

"Well, if you can't provide any documentation, I'm afraid I must decline." Will said innocently. Some of the bandits looked rather excited at this.

"Well if your not paying, then I'm afraid your going to have to face the consequences." The leader's face was set in an ugly leer. "What are the rules, boys?"

"We get to ransack your corpses!" the dull bandit said happily, drawing a massive sword. "Thems the rules!" Morrigan chuckled darkly behind Will, who was also smirking.

"You can certainly try." He calmly lit a fire in his had, making a show of studying it. That seemed to get the bandit's attention.

"Um, you're a mage?" the leader asked, his arrogant voice shaking.

"Why yes, I am." Will said. "And you might care to noticed that my friend right here is also a mage. Furthermore, he used to be a templar, and I think even you can notice that Thunder here is a mabari war hound." Will's face darkened. "Still interested in a fight?"

This seemed to be up for debate among the bandits. About five of them clearly were ready to head for the hills, while the rest were still considering the riches that they might get. The leader seemed to be among the latter group.

"Come on, boys, we outnumber them!" He turned to talk to his band. "Besides, this lot is probably apostates. The Templar'll give us a reward for them!" Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the butt of Will's staff heading for his face. A blast of telekinesis emanated from the impact, throwing the whole group back. As they started trying to get to their feet, Will's fireball hit, killing half of them instantly.

"Run. Now." Will said, his voice like ice. The survivors didn't need to be told twice, and quickly sprinted down the highway.

"Well, that went well." Morrigan said, putting here staff away. Will nodded, before stepping over to the body of the leader. After a moment, he found the remains of a pouch, which contained about two sovereigns worth of coin.

"Not to say that they didn't probably deserve that, but that did seem a little cold." Alistair said, while picking studying the bodies to see if there was anything worth salvaging. Will shook his head.

"They were bandits. The world's better off without them." He stepped past the boxes that the bandits had been using, and found several corpses. One stood out, while most were farms, this one had probably been a knight in life. Will crouched down, and after a moment of searching, found what looked like a locket. Opening it, he found a picture of a young woman, probably the man's wife. There was also a letter inside. Will unfolded it, and read.

_'__So many of my fellow knights have been searching for the Urn. Surely one of them must have found Brother Genitivi by now. Still, until I hear that all is well, I must proceed as planned. Brother Genitivi holds the key to finding the Urn of Sacred Ashes: We always knew this, but I believe I now know where Brother Genitivi lies. I have been to his home in Denerim and found the trail, and I am amazed that other knights have not done likewise. Unless they have? No, it is best not to get caught up in thoughts of conspiracy. Ser Donall awaits my report in Lothering. I must go to him immediately and report what I have learned. Should anyone find these ramblings, all I ask is that he be informed of my fate. I pray the he complete what I cannot.'_ The letter was signed by a Sir Henric.

"Well, I found some stuff we might be able to sell, but most of the stuff here is useless to us." Alistair said, coming up behind Will.

"Hey, what happened up here?" a voice called. The Wardens glanced up to see a young Templar coming up the ramp, looking around.

"Group of bandits tried to shake us down. We… informed them of the error of their ways." Will said, The templar gazed around, noting both Will and Morrigan's staves.

"Right, well done. We've tried to drive this group away several times, but they kept coming back. Why don't you go talk to the Knight Commander, he'll probably give you a reward." With that, the templar wandered back to his post.

"Well, let's head in." Will said, but Alistair interrupted him.

"Actually, before we do, I would like to talk about what happens next, after we leave Lothering." Morrigan smirked.

"Yes, let us here your brilliant plan. You certainly have been contemplating your navel long enough to have come up with one." Alistair glared at her.

"Is my being upset so difficult for you to understand? What would you do if your mother died?" Morrigan shook here head.

"Before or after I stopped laughing?" Both Alistair and Will stared at her, not certain whether she was being serious or not.

"Riiight, very creepy, forget I asked." Alistair turned back to Will. "So anyways, as I was saying, what are you planning."

"If I might ask, why am I the one coming up with the plan? Aren't you an older Warden than I am?" Alistair shook his head.

"I don't know what to do. The only idea I have is to go to Arl Eamon." Morrigan scoffed slightly, but refrained from commenting after Will glanced at her sharply.

"Well, let's all consider it while in Lothering. After we leave, we can all share ideas and make a plan." Will lead the way down into the village. "Morrigan, you know the town best, where do you think we should go?" She perked up slightly.

"The tavern, across the bridge would be a good place to start. Merchants often work there, or at least we can learn where they are." Will nodded, and the four set off towards the tavern.

There were dozens of tents scattered around the approach to the town, obviously the various refugees from the south. Will glanced around, feeling a twinge of sorrow for all the innocents, people who had done nothing wrong, but still suffered thanks to Loghain's madness.

The tavern, Dane's Refuge, turned out to be a small place, with only a few customers. Some of these, however, were wearing armor and weapons, both of which looked well maintained. On the shields was stamped the Gwaren coat of arms.

"Damn it, Loghain's men!" Alistair hissed, and the two Wardens tried to quietly leave. However, the captain looked up, noticed them, and called out to his men to assemble.

"Haven't we been told to look for people who look just like this, men?" he asked, glancing around. There were several nods.

"Yes, sir. An elf mage, and a blond warrior. Just like the Teyrn described. These must be the Wardens." One of the sergeants answered, before glaring around the bar. "I also recall that the good people here were telling us that they hadn't seen anyone of that description." The captain nodded, still glaring at Will.

"It appears we were lied to."

"Oh, so it's absolutely impossible that we just arrived." Will said sarcastically. "No, it must be a conspiracy!" Several snickers were heard around the room, but the soldiers silenced them with glares. Then, another voice spoke up.

"Gentlemen, surely there is no need for trouble." A Chantry sister had stood up from one of the tables in the corner, and carefully approached. She had short, orange-red hair, and her voice had a distinct Orlesian accent. She smiled warmly around, though Will noticed that her eyes were calculating. "These are most likely refugees who simply bear a resemblance to the people you are looking for." The captain didn't seem to be buying it.

"They're more than that!" he hissed, glowering at the Sister. "Now get out of our way. You help these traitors, and you'll share their deaths!" The woman sighed, but Will was more interested in what the captain had said.

"I beg your pardon? Traitors? I don't recall fleeing the battle like Loghain did. From the battle he planned, I might add." There were several mutters around the room, but all the soldiers looked furious.

"How dare you speak Teyrn Loghain's name, you filthy cur! Were it not for you damn Wardens, the plan would have worked perfectly!" Will opened his mouth, but the Sister beat him to it.

"Please, enough!" she said, starting to sound frustrated. "This is not the place for a fight! Look around, look at the people!"

"I'm giving you one last warning, Sister. Cease and desist, or I'll kill you and make my peace with the Maker later." She sighed again, but didn't move. Other patrons, however, were starting to head for cover, including the balconies and behind the bar.

"You might want to do what he says, Sister." Will said coolly, glaring at the captain. "I don't need your help." She turned to him.

"I know you don't need it. These men, however, will blindly follow their master's orders, even into death, for themselves, and others too." One of the soldiers, who had been aiming his crossbow at Alistair, shifted his aim to the Sister instead.

"We are not the blind ones!" one of the sergeants roared. "We were there! We saw the Wardens' treachery with our own eyes!"

"Indeed. Men, kill them all."

Will's response was instantaneous. He brought up an Arcane Shield, desperately trying to get between the soldiers and the Sister. Much as he disliked the Chantry, this young woman didn't deserve to die. However, the bolt was faster.

The sister, it seemed, was faster still. She jerked forward, simultaneously dodging the bolt and grabbing the arm of one of the nearby soldiers, and drawing him close for a moment. When she released him, he toppled to the floor, and Will realized that she now had a bloodstained dagger in her hand. Another soldier tried to attack her, but she slipped back at the last second, avoiding his clumsily swings, and stepped back in under his guard and killed him too, then moved on to the next enemy.

Alistair, meanwhile, had blocked the two bolts headed his way, and was now engaged with the captain and a soldier. Both were talented, but Alistair was not only better, but physically faster and stronger as well, and the captain was soon being driven back from the corpse of his companion. Morrigan, meanwhile, froze the first of the archers, then electrocuted another other. Thunder had jumped up on a table, before running across the heads of the two sergeants to reach the final archer, and proceeded to eat his throat. Will's flames were lashing out, boiling two soldiers instantly, before he block the strikes of one soldier that had approached him with his Arcane Shield. Eventually, he threw the man away with telekinesis, and froze him solid. A final Arcane Bolt shattered his neck, sending the head flying over the counter of the bar. The downed sergeants were killed by Morrigan, and the final soldier desperately tried to grab the Sister, perhaps for a hostage. However, she was too fast for him, and grabbed his wrist before pivoting and tripping him on a chair, sending him crashing to the ground. Her dagger flew, burying itself in the man's throat.

"Enough! We surrender!" the captain cried, desperately throwing down his sword. The Sister smiled, wiping her blade on a cloth, before slipping it back into a sheath Will hadn't noticed before.

"Wonderful! Now we can all stop fighting." She glanced at Will, who had not put his staff away, and, in fact, was advancing on the captain. "What are you doing?"

"What did you mean, that Grey Wardens were traitors?" Will asked coldly. The captain stared at the still-flaming staff, then glanced hopefully at the Sister, but she seemed to think the question was fair.

"Well, the whole plan was for your lot to light the beacon. Then you didn't, until it was too late." Will's eyes widened.

"Didn't Loghain get the message I sent? I sent one of the survivors from Ishal to tell him that the beacon might not be lit?"

"No, we got no message." The captain said. Will swore under his breath.

"Darkspawn must have gotten him. But wait?" He glared at the soldier again, who backed into a table. "What did you mean 'too late'? I was there when the plan was being made. Loghain was not in a position to see the field, hence the need for the beacon in the first place. How did anyone know if we were 'too late'?" The captain looked confused.

"Teyrn Loghain said that it was. I don't know what your talking about, but I know where my loyalties lie!" Will's staff flared again.

"Wait!" the Sister spoke up again. "He surrendered, remember?" Will's eyes narrowed.

"We let him go, he's just going to run off and tell Loghain Alistair and I are alive, so he'll send more at us." The woman shook her head.

"These men aren't the only ones who know you're a Warden. Any of the patrons here today could go to Loghain. Are you going to kill all of them too?" Will glanced around, indeed the various people had peeked out of cover now that the fighting had stopped. He glanced at Alistair and Morrigan. Morrigan seemed to think the idea had some merit, but Alistair's face clearly displayed that he wasn't going to cross that line.

"Get out of here, and be sure to tell Loghain this: 'The Wardens know what really happened at Ostagar. We know this, and we will make you pay'." The captain nodded furiously, before rushing out the door.

"Thank you for that, Wardens." The sister moved forward. The other patrons, meanwhile, were coming out of hiding and making sure their drinks were undisturbed, which they were for the most part. "I'm sorry for interfering, but I wanted to try and avert bloodshed."

"That's fine, Sister." Will responded. She smiled slightly.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Leliana, a lay sister of the Chantry. Or at least, I was until recently." She glanced around, and stepped closer. "Your going to fight against the Blight, aren't you? Could I come along to help?"

That was just about the last thing Will had expected. He and Alistair glanced at each other. "Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but why would you want to help us."

"The Maker told me to." Leliana said simply.

'Just when you think you've heard it all…' Will thought, staring at the woman in front of him. "Care to… elaborate?"

"Um, perhaps I could have phrased that better." Leliana said sheepishly. "But it's true! I had a dream, a vision. Please, let me help! I know that I was a little rusty back there, but my archery's better."

"That…was rusty?" Alistair said slowly, glancing at the bodies Leliana had left. Privately, Will agreed with Alistair, five dead soldiers in about ten seconds was pretty impressive. But still…

"One moment." Will said to Leliana, before gesturing Alistair and Morrigan to follow him a short distance away.

"She is crazy." Morrigan said simply.

"True." Alistair responded, "But it seems to be more 'Oh, pretty colors' crazy than 'Muhaha! I am Princess Stabitty! Stab, kill, kill!' crazy." Will smirked as he saw Leliana fold her arms, glaring at Alistair.

"Don't look now, but I think she heard you." Alistair coughed, but forged on.

"Anyways, she does seem to have serious talent, and we do need all the help we can get. Isn't that why she is here?" he gestured at Morrigan.

"That's true. What do you think, boy?" Thunder seemed to consider for a moment, before deliberately walking over to Leliana, sitting down, and offering her his paw. "Well, I guess that's that. You can come along, Leliana. Please try to behave yourself."

Leliana smiled warmly, taking Thunder's paw and shaking it. "I'll go and grab my equipment. It's at the Chantry."

"We'll be either here, or at one of the other merchants in town." Will said. Leliana nodded, and then quickly left. Will glanced around the room, before walking over to the bar. "Sorry about the mess."

"That's OK, Warden. Those men were asking for it. Threatened to execute several people, though thankfully they never went through with it." The bartender glanced around. "Speaking for myself, I'm on your side, Warden," he whispered. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Are there any merchants around?" Will asked quietly. "I'm afraid we need to restock our supplies." The barkeeper nodded.

"Well, Barlin over there has some gear, and there's another merchant around somewhere. New guy, not well known." Will thanked the barkeeper for his advice, and went over to Barlin.

"Some fight there, Warden." Barlin said, glancing at Will.

"I've been told that you have things to sell." The man smiled.

"Indeed, I do. Is there anything in particular that you might need, Warden?"

"Well, first we need…"

* * *

><p>Leliana returned a few minutes later, after Will was done with his bartering. She now wore studded leather armor, and carried two daggers at her side, and a longbow.<p>

"I'm glad to see you. I was half expecting that you would have slipped off." She smiled warmly. Will nodded simply.

"No point. We accepted your help, if we didn't want it, we would have told you so." He said goodbye to Barlin, before walking over to where Alistair and Morrigan were sitting. He had been able to convince the merchant to buy some of the extra equipment that the team had picked up, and had bought some extra supplies in return. He picked up the new backpack. "Here, this is yours." Leliana nodded, and quickly adjusted her bow and quiver so as to carry the pack. "By the way." Will continued. "Do you know were we could do some work, something so that we can have some funds?" Leliana thought for a moment.

"Well, there's always the Chanter's Board. There should be something on there. And there's a lot of refugees in town, they'll probably need some help." Will glanced at Morrigan and Alistair, who nodded an affirmative to his unasked question.

"Sounds like a good idea." With that, Will lead the way out of the Dane's Refuge. It might have been just him, but it was possible that he heard a sigh of relief just before the door closed.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the Chantry, which looked much like any other, though it looked particularly grand in comparison to the wooden buildings that surrounded it. And, as Leliana had said, the Chanter's Board was located just outside the gate. Chanter's boards were common sights in Fereldan. As part of the Chantry's attempt to ingratiate themselves to the people, they provided a forum for people to request assistance, especially those that would have trouble paying otherwise. They got their name from the people who ran them; Chanter's were men and women who had dedicated themselves so completely to the Chantry that they refused to say anything other than the Chant of Light. Will had met a few Chanters at the Circle Tower, and had found them alternating frustrating and amusing. Frustrating, when one was trying to get a strait answer out of one, and amusing when he could trick one into saying something other than the Chant.

"And Eileen spoke unto the masses, 'My hearth is yours, my bread is yours, my life is yours. For all who walk in the sight of the Maker are one.'" The Chanter smiled as Will approached.

"Hello to you too, Chanter." Will said calmly. He and the others walked up to the board, while Thunder sat down in front of the Chanter, gazing up at him curiously.

"See anything interesting?" he asked.

"There seems to be something of a bandit infestation." Morrigan said, reading one of the entries more closely. "Tis something we have some experience in, no?" Will nodded, glancing at the job she had pointed out.

"Apparently they stole some keepsakes, which are what the Chanter will acknowledge as proof of the jobs completion."

"There also seems to be a need for healing policies, because of the number of refugees." Leliana spoke up. "Apparently, we should speak to Elder Miriam if we can help." Will glanced at the request, making some quick calculations.

"Well, if I can get my hands on some elfroot, I can make passable ones. All apprentices are taught basic herbalism at the tower." Leliana nodded, but then a voice interrupted their musings.

"I heard from one of my Templar that you took care of those bandits on the highway." Will turned to see a tall Templar standing just inside the gate. His armor marked him as the Knight Commander, and he studied Will carefully. "He also mentioned that you were a mage." Wills eyes narrowed, but the Commander raised his hand wearily. "Don't worry, I have enough problems without picking a fight. So long as you don't cause any harm, I'm willing to look the other way, and will instruct my Templar to do likewise. As for the bandits, I have some coin for you, and invite you to take a look at the equipment that we are abandoning in preparation for our evacuation. It's over on the side of the Chantry." He handed Will a pouch, nodded to Leliana, and left.

"Sir Bryant is a good man." Leliana said. "It is good to see he is still willing to put the good of the people before his training." Will nodded, slightly surprised. All his interactions with Templar had been men who's only job had been to keep mages in line. He hand never though that Templar might have other concerns outside of the Tower.

Alistair took the moment to speak up. "Why don't we take a quick look at the equipment he mentioned." Will nodded, but then glanced at the Chanter's Board.

"Why don't you and Morrigan deal with that. I'll finish up here. Thunder, make sure they don't kill each other." The dog barked once in response, nodded to the Chanter, and left with the others.

"Mabari are such wonderful creatures. Where did you find him?" Leliana asked as Will finalized the Chanter's Board jobs they were taking.

"Ostagar." Will said quietly. "He was sick, and his first master had been killed in one of the earlier battles. I found some medicine for him, and he seemed to take a liking to me. Later, on the road here, he just showed up." Will started to turn away, but suddenly had an idea. "Oh, one last thing." He turned to the Chanter, who nodded. "A Chanter says what?"

"What?" both Leliana and the Chanter said at the same time. It took them a second to realize what had just happened. Will grinned evilly.

"Umm, uh… What hath man's sins wrought?" the Chanter said desperately, trying to recover. Will's grin widened.

"Works every time." He chuckled and stepped away from the silently fuming Chanter. Leliana raised her eyebrow at him. "It's an old form of amusement in the Circle, trying to get Chanters to speak normally. It got to the point where they got used to it, so it's nice to see that some of them are still susceptible."

"Well, I guess it's harmless." Leliana admitted. Will nodded, but was interrupted by voices from nearby. He glanced at Leliana, who looked confused as well. There seemed to be an argument taking place near a wagon a short distance from the Chantry. Will walked over to see what was going on.

"Back off! I have the right to charge what I wish!" a relatively well dressed man said furiously, shoving a Sister back a step. The two farmers seemed about to interfere, but the Sister gestured that she was alright, before glaring at the man.

"You profit from these poor people's misfortune! I should have the Templar give away everything of use in your carts!" The man hissed furiously.

"You wouldn't dare! Anyone steps too close to my goods and I'll…" he said threateningly, but Will interrupted.

"Isn't it just amazing how much people are willing to help each other out in a crisis?" Everyone turned to look at him, and the merchants face quickly smothered.

"Ah, stranger." His voice had turned oily. "You look like you would be up for some work. Care to make a profit helping a beleaguered businessman?"

"Well, first I think I should know what is going on." Will said calmly, and the Sister spoke up before the merchant could answer.

"He is charging outlandish prices for the things people desperately need! Their suffering is filling his pockets!" The farmers behind her nodded furiously at this, and the merchant looked annoyed. Behind Will, he heard Leliana muttering something about heartless opportunists.

"I have limited supplies. It's simple, if there is more demand, then things are worth more." The sister glared at the merchant again.

"You bought most of your wares from the people of Lothering earlier this week! Now, they flee for their lives, and those that aren't able to are reliant on your goods, and all you want to do is talk business!" Will, meanwhile, was studying the two farmers listening to the argument. Both looked thin and worn, and their clothes were patched.

"Look, stranger." Will's eyes turned back to the merchant. "I've a sovereign for you if your willing to drive this yapping priest and the rest of her rabble off. I'm simply an honest merchant." Will narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Don't you think your being a little unscrupulous?" The merchant glared at him.

"Would it help if there were no goods at all, because that can be arranged." Will shook his head.

"Think about it this way. Right now, you have the goods, and thus the power. However, what about when the Darkspawn come? You'll have to leave with everyone else. What happens then? What happens when there is another merchant with food and other supplies in the area?" Will left the thought hanging, but it was clear the merchant had gotten the message. He glanced around, suddenly nervous. "However, if you lower your prices to a reasonable level, you can both make a profit, and earn some goodwill." The merchant slowly stroked his beard.

"I guess that makes sense, so long as the sister here agrees that I can charge _something_ for my goods." The sister nodded.

"Indeed. I have no problem with honest prices. Do you, gentlemen?" she asked over her shoulder to the farmers, who quickly shook their heads.

"Very well. You, however, seem more than capable of handling yourself, so no discount for you!" the merchant said to Will, who nodded. "Now, if there's nothing else…"

"No, thank you." Will said, glancing back towards the Chantry, where Alistair and Morrigan had returned, followed by Thunder, who was carrying a loose pack himself.

"That was very good of you, William." Leliana said quietly as she followed him back towards the others. Will shrugged.

"I've never liked bullies." He then raised his voice slightly. "Find anything interesting, you two?"

"I found a helmet that hadn't been completely destroyed yet." Alistair said, gesturing to it. "And there were several other, small things that might come in handy." He nodded towards the merchant, who was arguing quietly with the farmers. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing major." Will said simply, glancing briefly at Morrigan. "We should probably head off, the bandit's we're hunting are to the north of town, and there should be some elfroots out there as well."

"Once we get out from under these people's eyes" Morrigan spoke up. "I'll scout out the bandits in bird form, if you wish." Will nodded, earlier, on in their journey from the Wilds to Lothering, Morrigan's ability to turn into a hawk had proven very useful in spotting ambushes, even before Alistair's Warden sense had kicked in. It would be even more useful now, in an open area.

"Who's that, in the cage?" Alistair asked Leliana as the group was leaving town. Will glanced over, and indeed, there was a man standing in a cage at the edge of town. He was easily the largest man Will had ever seen, nearly eight feet tall. His skin, in stark contrast to the various, mostly pale people wandering around, was a rich bronze color. At first, Will thought he might be a Qunari, but that was impossible, they had horns. Probably just a rather large man.

As they watched, however, a small group of men approached the cage carefully. They were gripping sticks, and started poking at the man. He ignored them, and continued to murmur to himself.

"Still nothing, you murderer?" one of the tormentors said coldly. "Hopefully the Darkspawn will be able to get more of a reaction out of you!" Will felt a sick sense of rage in his gut. How could anyone be left to those monsters? Didn't the people of Lothering understand just how bad that was?

"I heard about him." Leliana said sadly. "Apparently, he killed an entire family just north of here. No reason, no logic, just killed them all. He turned himself in here." Will watched the continued harassment for a moment, before cursing quietly and walking over.

"Knock it off." He said coldly to the three men. They turned to look at him in surprise.

"Why. Bastard murdered the Garret family, old friends of my father." One of the men hissed. "I'm not just going to stand by after that."

"You lot are already leaving him for the Darkspawn, isn't that punishment enough?" Alistair said as he moved to stand beside Will.

"Doesn't seem to phase him much. I'm starting to think he's just too stupid to understand. Probably thinks were going to just leave him here," another of the men said, moodily poking the giant in the head.

"Enough." Leliana said, moving to Will's other side. "The Wardens are right, being left to the Darkspawn is more horrible than anything you three can do. There's no point."

Her comment got a lot more attention than Alistair's or Will's. Even the giant looked up at the word 'Wardens'.

"They're Grey Wardens?" one of the men asked, and when Leliana nodded, the three shared a long look. "Fine. Well let the bastard be." With that, the three left, heading back into town.

"Surprising." Will glanced up at the giant man, surprised that he had chosen to speak now rather than when the men were poking him.

"What's surprising?" he asked, and the bronze giant stared at him with unblinking, purple eyes.

"You, a Grey Warden. My people have heard legends of that order, how they are great warriors, fighting and impossible foe." Will studied him for a moment, trying to think of any culture that didn't have Grey Wardens. The only group he could think of was the Qunari.

"Are you a Qunari?" he asked, and the giant nodded.

"I am Sten of the Beresaad, the vanguard of the Qunari people," he rumbled, a note of pride in his voice.

"So, is it true that you killed a family?" The Qunari nodded, not speaking. "And the people are just leaving you in there for the Darkspawn?"

"That seems to be their plan." Will was struck with a sudden idea.

"Would it be possible to interest you in another form of atonement, like fighting the Blight?" Everyone stared at Will for a moment.

"Well, first you would have to convince the Revered Mother to let him out, she's the only one with a key." Leliana said, glancing back towards the Chantry. Will ignored her for the moment, still focusing on Sten.

"Well, would you be interested?" The Qunari seemed to be considering it carefully.

"If the priestess allows it, I will fight with you." He said finally.

"Does this mean we're going to have to go all the way back to the Chantry now?" Morrigan moaned. Will thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Are you going to die in the next few hours?" he asked Sten, who shook his head. "Then I think we can do our other work first, then go to the Chanter's Board, then the Revered Mother, then back here. Shouldn't take too long." With that, he nodded to Sten, who nodded back, before leading his team out into the countryside.

"I'm off, then." Morrigan said simply, and after a flash of light, a hawk stood where she had been. She quickly took wing, soaring high into the sky. Will gestured the others to follow him. After a few minutes, Morrigan returned. "There are three groups that I saw. One just past that hill, over there, one by the lake, and another ransacking a small farm hold over that way. None of the groups are very big, we should be able to take them easily."

"Right. Spread out, we'll take the top of the hill, hit that first group from above. Then, we'll head for the farm hold, then the lake. That sound good?" Everyone nodded, drawing his or her weapons. "Let's go."

The first group of bandits never knew what hit them. The leader fell, an arrow in his chest, and while the others were scrambling around, Will struck down two more with Arcane Bolts. The survivors took cover behind some rocks, and tried to fire on Will and Leliana, but realized too late that Morrigan, Thunder, and Alistair were flanking them. The survivors were picked off by a few more arrows and Bolts.

"Let's see if we can find any of the proof we need on this lot." Will said as the group reconvened. They did find one object, a well-worked silver mirror. Unfortunately, the glass had been shattered in the fight. They also found some health packs, as well as a single lyrium potion.

"Why would these men have lyrium." Morrigan asked. "None of them were mages."

"Maybe one of the bandits in another group is a mage, and these ones were hanging on to a potion for some reason. We should be careful." Alistair said simply, before the whole group set off for the farmhouse.

Screams were heard from the area, and as Will and the others watched, a child and a woman were dragged from the house. Will's eyes narrowed in rage.

"What now?" Leliana asked slowly. Will gazed over the area.

"Get into position to take out the bandit holding the kid. I'll sneak closer, I have a spell to protect the woman. Morrigan, sneak into the building itself, they'll probably try to take cover in there. Alistair, Thunder, on me. Wait for my signal." Everyone nodded, and as Will, Alistair, and Thunder snuck through the tall grass, Leliana split off, searching for a place where she could snipe, and Morrigan turned back into a hawk and carefully flew to the house.

After Will was sure that Morrigan was inside and Leliana was ready, he nodded to Alistair and Thunder, then cast Force Field. The bandit's jerked away in surprise, and didn't notice the one holding the little boy fall with an arrow to the throat. Thankfully, the child took the opportunity to run, especially when Will's fireball went off, tossing the men around. True to Will's prediction, the surviving bandits made a run for the house as Will, Thunder, and Alistair bore down on them, but were met by a wave of ice at the door, and were finished off.

"Mommy?" the little boy asked as he came back, pressing himself against the Force Field. Will came up to him.

"She's alright. If you would step back, please?" The boy complied, and Alistair moved forward, and carefully dispelled the field. The woman quickly ran to her son, wrapping her arms around him. Morrigan carefully picked her way over the corpses on the doorstep, and Leliana jogged over from where she had been shooting.

"Whoever you are, thank you so much!" the woman sobbed, glancing back at Will. He smiled slightly.

"We heard the screams, and figured you could use a hand." Morrigan seemed like she was about to say something, but was interrupted by Thunder starting to bark.

It seemed the bandits by the lake, which wasn't too far, had heard the commotion. They were cresting the small hill, and Will and Alistair barely brought their shields up in time to block their arrows.

"Pull back! Into the house!" Will shouted, moving to cover the mother and child. Morrigan threw an entropic bolt as she dashed back. Leliana was just behind her, pulling her bow out again. Thunder slipped in after her, and Alistair herded the family in. Will was last, arrows still glancing off his wedge shield. The last thing he saw before closing the door was one of the bandits exploding.

Leliana had dashed up a set of stairs, and was taking position by one of the windows. "There are about sixteen of them, William!" she shouted down the stairs. Will nodded, gestured Morrigan one way, and went the other way himself.

"Alistair; cover this door! Thunder; find any back door! You two; take cover!" He didn't bother to stay and see if anyone was following his instruction, he was too busy looking out the window. "Damn it."

One of the bandits was, in fact, a mage. He had a shield of his own up, and Will watched an arrow bounce off it. He seemed to be trying to get closer to the house, and Will noticed that the air around him was shimmering.

"Well, two can play that game," he muttered to himself, before reaching into his mana, drawing it around his staff, and throwing another fireball. It flew towards the man, who dodged quickly forward as it exploded behind him. That, however, had been Will's plan, as an Arcane Bolt hit the man's weakened shield. No damage, but it did force him back. Then Morrigan, bless her, had taken the initiative and hit the man with a Winter's Grasp, weakening his defenses enough for one final arrow to penetrate his chest.

The rest of the bandits were not idle, and arrows were hitting all around Will, and the others were advancing under shields. He quickly covered his face with a shield, silently thanking the magic for being see-through. Leliana's arrows had slacked off, and after a moment she arrived on the ground floor.

"Too many arrows up there. What now?" Will glanced at Alistair.

"Make a slit in the door, something Leliana can fire out of. Morrigan; could you flank them?" She called an affirmative, before transforming into a cat and slipping out the back. Will went back too watching the enemy approach. Several split off, probably heading for the back. The rest headed for Alistair's door, but were driven back by Leliana's arrows. They tried to enter the window, but Alistair met them there, and they were unable to get in.

They were probably hoping the back door group would have better luck, but Morrigan was able to ambush them, killing all but two of them, and they were finished off by Thunder. Morrigan then slipped out as a cat, and started killing the archers one by one. As they fell, Will was finally able to start firing again, taking a few of the enemies out.

Unfortunately, three were able to find an unguarded window, and slipped in. Alistair and Thunder moved to meet them, and after a fierce battle, killed them. Will took a moment to heal the gash Thunder had gotten, before glancing out again. What few bandits were left were in full retreat, being picked off by Morrigan and Leliana. None escaped.

"It's ok to come out now. Sorry about the mess." Will called, before opening the door. The mother and child came slowly out of a cupboard under the stairs.

"You… killed them all?" the mother asked, stunned. Will smiled reassuringly.

"Yes. Having two mages really helps in a fight, and a templar doesn't hurt either." She stared at him, finally seeming to really understand the implications of his abilities.

"Your mages?" she asked, unconsciously pulling her child behind her. Will sighed.

"Yes, I'm a mage. My name is William Surana. I am a mortal being, just like you and your son. Just because I can do things you can't doesn't make me a monster." The woman seemed surprised, and a little wary, but her son smiled at Will.

"Thank you for saving us, Mr. Mage," he said happily. Will smiled gently, then glanced around, grimacing. The house was a wreck, with arrows imbedded all over the place, blood splatters, and plenty of damage.

"Again, sorry for the mess." But the mother shook her head.

"A house can be rebuilt, a life cannot be returned." She glanced at Will. "My apologies, sir mage. I did not mean to sound ungrateful." Will shrugged, before pulling the door open.

"Find anything, Morrigan?" She looked up from the body of the mage, and nodded. After some scavenging, the group came back together. They had found a fair bit of money, some more poultices and potions, some armor that was better than Alistair's and not too damaged, as well as an enchanted sword. "Well, let's all head back. Do you two want to come along as well? It's probably safer in Lothering." The mother nodded, she and her son had already grabbed some possessions and provisions and were ready to go.

* * *

><p>The trip back was uneventful, and there was time to pick some elfroot and make poultices. However, the Wardens ran into problems when they reached Lothering.<p>

"You, Grey Wardens!" a man called as they approached. Behind him was a cluster of refugees, all of who were carrying makeshift weapons, including hatchets, pitchforks, and a few daggers. Only about three had armor. "We don't know if it's true, that your lot killed the King, and, Maker forgive us, we don't care. However, there's a big bounty on your heads, enough to fill a lot of bellies. We're taking you in!" Morrigan started laughing at this, and Will could understand why. Most of these people would be dead before they got halfway to the team, and the rest would pose absolutely no threat.

"You do realize that this is foolishness, right." Will called back. He held up his staff, lighting a fire on it to prove his point. "You're doomed to fail, you know that." The leader nodded sadly.

"It's possible. We don't have a choice. Our families are starving, we need the money!" Will shook his head, but to his surprise, the woman from the farmhouse, who was named Goodwife Sarha, answered.

"And do you think that you'll do your families any good by getting yourselves killed?" she called. "These people wiped out every single bandit that had been plaguing the northern area, something the Templar couldn't do. Use your heads!" Will nodded. The mob glanced around, and a few took tentative steps forward.

"So we should just sit by and watch our families starve?" the leader challenged.

"That won't change if you try to attack us. I want to help, but I'm afraid I have to focus on stopping the Blight itself. I cannot surrender." Will called back. "Please, stand aside. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I must."

There was an outbreak of muttering among the mob, and some started drifting away. "What do you suggest we do, oh wise Warden?" one of the men called scathingly, glaring at Will. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I don't have all the answers. All I can suggest is to head north, away from the horde. I wish there was more I could do." The mob continued to break up, and eventually, there were only about four men left, who glanced around before leaving themselves. Will sighed slightly, before gesturing for the others to follow him. The walk to the Chantry was made in silence.

"Blessed are the peacekeepers, champions of the just," the Chanter said quietly as Will approached. Will nodded, too tired to poke fun at the man. He handed over the proof-keepsakes from the bandits, as well as the poultices that he and Morrigan had made from the elfroot they found. The Chanter smiled, handing over a pouch of coins, before waving over an old woman who had been talking with a small group of refugees. She took the bag of poultices, nodded her thanks to Will, and turned towards the center of the refugee camp. Will saw that there seemed to be a makeshift hospital there, and felt his gut clench.

"You wanted to speak to the Revered Mother about Sten, right." Leliana asked quietly. "I'll take you to her. She knows me." Will nodded, and the two entered the Chantry, followed by Alistair. Morrigan, it seemed, didn't want to come in, and Thunder stayed to keep her company at Will's command.

It looked fairly normal on the inside too, except that all the pews had been removed, to make space for the people who crowded the room. Will glanced around, before following Leliana. He saw a few Templar, but they all seemed busy. Sir Bryant noticed him, and nodded briefly. There was another man in armor that Will noticed, who was standing against a wall, reading.

"Sir Donall?" Alistair asked suddenly. The armored man glanced up, noticing Alistair, and his face broke out into a smile.

"Alistair!" he asked, striding forward and grabbing Alistair's hand. Will and Leliana stopped to watch. "I thought that you were dead!" Alistair smiled grimly.

"Not yet, no thanks to Teyrn Loghain." He spat the name out like a curse. Sir Donall's eyes narrowed.

"If Arl Eamon were well, he would set Loghain strait!" Will's eyes widened at that. The Arl wasn't well?

"Wait, if the Arl's not well, what are you doing here?" Alistair asked, his voice worried. Sir Donell sighed.

"We've tried all the normal cures. Our only hope now is a miracle. Almost every one of Redcliffe's knights has been sent in search of the Urn of Sacred Ashes." Will was even more surprised at this; the Urn of Sacred Ashes was the object that supposedly held Andraste's ashes. If it had ever existed, it had certainly been lost long ago. That they were so desperate that they would search for that… boded ill. "However, I fear we are chasing a fable. I have found nothing to tell me that the Urn is real. I intend to return to Redcliffe and tell the Arlessa that, as soon as Sir Henric arrives."

Will's memory clicked. "If that's so, I'm afraid you'll be waiting for a while. Sir Henric is dead." Will pulled out the locket and the note. "I found these on a knight the bandits that used to occupy the highway killed." Sir Donell took the note, read it swiftly, and then glanced at the locket.

"These are indeed Sir Henric's. I had hoped he would have made it, but I guess it was not to be. I wonder how many more of us have fallen on this fool errand." He glanced back at the note again. "Although, he did mention Brother Genitivi's house, and his research. Maybe I should go take a look." He glanced at Will. "Thank you for giving these to me. I'm sure you'll be welcome at Castle Redcliffe." Will nodded, and Sir Donell walked out of the Chantry.

"Let's go to the Revered Mother now." Leliana said, and turned to head deeper into the Chantry. Will nodded, and followed her. A Templar stood in the doorway, but stood aside after Leliana had a quick word with him. He did, however, ask Will to leave his staff. Will gave it to Alistair, before following Leliana inside.

"Sister Leliana?" The Revered Mother glanced up from the parchment she was studying. Like most of her rank, she was an older woman. However, somehow, Will didn't find her voice as grating as most Revered Mothers. "I thought that you had left us." She glanced past Leliana, studying Will. "You mentioned you had found a Gray Warden who allowed you to follow, as per your… directive. I take it this is he?"

"Indeed, Your Reverence. His name is William Surana." Leliana said, bowing. Will inclined his head enough to convey respect. "He has something he would like to ask you." The Revered Mother turned to Will, indicating that he should proceed.

"I would like to ask about Sten, the Qunari that you locked up outside town." Will said, keeping his voice neutral. The Revered Mother sighed, before standing slowly.

"I know it seems harsh, but there was little else I could do with him. The people demanded blood." Will raised one eyebrow. "What do you want with him?"

"As Leliana told you, I'm a Grey Warden. However, after Loghain's betrayal at Ostagar, the Order has been reduced to two junior members. We need all the help we can get. The Qunari are reputed to be powerful warriors. I would ask that you release him into my custody. I'll make sure he doesn't get out of line." The Revered Mother stared at him, surprised. Then, she turned to Leliana.

"What have you to say, Sister Leliana? You know your new friend better than I. Can I trust his words?" Leliana nodded.

"I know this is sudden, Your Reverence, but I have the utmost faith in William. He knows what he's doing." The Revered Mother held eye contact for a few seconds longer, before sighing again. She then opened a drawer in her desk, pulled out a key, and placed it on the desk, keeping one finger on it.

"Very well, Warden. I'll trust your judgment." Will thanked her, and approached to take the key. The Revered Mother spoke again, more quietly this time. "Please, look after Leliana. She's a good girl, and I would hate for her to get hurt."

"I will, though she seems quite capable." Will responded quietly. The Revered Mother nodded, and released the key. Will bowed again, before turning to leave. "Well, that went well," he said to Leliana as he retrieved his staff from Alistair.

"Indeed. Revered Mother Qorra is a noble woman. I'm glad she decided to trust you." Leliana said happily, as the three left the Chantry. Morrigan glance up from the one-sided argument she seemed to be having with Thunder, and walked over to them.

"Well, did the woman release the key?" she asked. Will nodded, holding up the key. "Finally, another competent member." Leliana looked slightly hurt at this comment, but Will ignored it, being too used to Morrigan's sharp tongue. Before too long, the group had reached Sten's cage. Will calmly walked up and unlocked the door.

"It seems that you were able to convince the priestess to grant you the key." Sten rumbled. "I admit, I am surprised she parted with it."

"Grey Wardens can be pretty persuasive." Will said calmly, standing back and letting Sten walk out. "We have some equipment for you. What kind of weapon do you use? Greatsword? Sword and shield?" Sten huffed slightly, before studying the weapons Will had shown him.

"Parshaara!" he grunted, before grabbing the greatsword. Will admitted it wasn't the best, having been previously used by a particularly careless bandit. He hefted this massive weapon like a twig, and snorted, apparently satisfied.

"We should probably head out of town, rather than risk that mob attacking us in our sleep." Alistair said quietly. "Goodwife Sarha's house is still in one piece, and nobody's staying there…" Will nodded slowly.

"That's probably for the best." Will said, and the six set off. However, before they had gotten five steps, a voice called out.

"You're letting that monster out!" Will turned back, and saw a young man approaching them. He had dark brown hair, much like Will's. His face, however, was locked in a scowl. "He murdered an entire family, and your just letting him out?" Will's eyes narrowed.

"I am. He'll be helping me combat the Blight." Will said coldly. The man glared at him, and opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a third voice.

"Carver?" A young woman, looking almost identical to Carver, came up behind him. "Why must you always do this?" She sighed, before turning to Will. "Please forgive my brother, his mouth sometimes goes faster than his head."

"They're letting the Qunari out, Bethany." Carver said, pointing to Sten. Bethany turned back to him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Still, that's no reason to pick a fight. In case you haven't noticed, you're rather outnumbered, and Garrett isn't here to help you this time." Carver opened his mouth slightly, then seemed to think about what his sister had said, huffed, and left. She sighed. "Again, I apologize." Will nodded coolly, then turned and left with the others.

* * *

><p><em> Denerim, 25 hours earlier<em>

Bann Teagan Guerrin glanced around the assembled lords and ladies of the Landsmeet, still wondering about exactly why they had all been summoned. He had been in Rainesfere, minding his own affairs, when he had gotten a messenger claiming that Queen Anora was calling a meeting of Ferelden's nobility. On the way to Denerim, he had heard rumors of some kind of disaster at Ostagar, but had been unable to get details. He was also looking for his brother, Arl Eamon Guerrin. Teagan was surprised that he hadn't already arrive, normally he was eager to enter any political debate.

"Lords and Ladies!" one of the men standing on the main stage cried out. "I present Queen Anora Therin née Mac Tir!" The Queen stepped gracefully out onto the platform. A slim, beautiful woman, the Queens face was unusually grave.

"Lords, Ladies. I come to you with terrible news." She sighed, looking down. "My husband, King Cailin, is dead."

At these words, there was an immediate outcry. The queen raised her hand, silencing the various nobles. "I know that this is a shock, but the fact is that we are facing a crisis. Thus, Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir, my father, is taking the position of Regent until the crisis can be averted. He can give you more information." With those words, she backed off, and Teyrn Loghain stepped to the fore.

"I'm sure you are all wondering what happened at Ostagar. As you know, King Cailin, following the advice of the Grey Wardens, took the royal army there to defeat a Blight." Loghain's voice grew cold. "However, I have come to the conclusion that this was merely are ruse, an attempt by the Grey Wardens to kill the king. Unfortunately, by the time I discovered this, it was too late." Loghain looked down. "I have already taken measures against the traitors, but we lack men." Loghain glared around. "And I expect each of you to supply these men. We must rebuild what was lost at Ostagar, and quickly. There are those who would take advantage of our weakened state if we let them."

'Probably talking about the Orlesians.' Teagan thought coolly. Loghain's hatred for that country had not faded in the slightest in the twenty years since the occupation ended.

"We must defeat this Darkspawn incursion," Loghain continued, "but we must do so sensibly, and without hesitation."

Teagan had had enough. "Your Lordship, if I might speak?" he called out. Loghain gestured him to continue. "You are claiming that we all must unite under your banner, but what of Ostagar. Your withdrawal seems most… fortuitous." There was an outcry among the nobles, both for and against Teagan's statement. He ignored them, however, and continued to stare into Loghain's eyes.

"Everything I have done has been to secure Ferelden's independence." Loghain said coldly. "I have not shirked my duty to the throne, and neither will any of you."

"The Bannorn will not bow to you simple because you demand it!" Teagan called out. Loghain's eyes widened.

"Know this, Bann Teagan!" he shouted. "I will brook no threat to this nation from you, or anyone else!" With that, he stormed out of the room. Teagan looked around, noticing that the rest of the Bannorn were moving around, almost aimlessly. Still no sign of his brother.

"Bann Teagan!" Teagan glanced up at the Queen's voice. Maybe she would see reason.

"Your Majesty, your father risks civil war!" he called back. "If Eamon were here…" 'things might have never gotten this far.' Eamon had always been the more forceful of the two brothers, and the more powerful.

Queen Anora looked shaken, but rallied. "My father is doing what is best." Teagan's eyes narrowed.

"Did he do what was best for your husband, your Majesty?" he asked quietly, before leaving the chamber. He had to ride to Redcliffe, find out why Eamon hadn't come, and inform him of what he missed.

Hopefully, he could pull some miracle out of his sleeve.

(Codex: Lothering)

In ancient times, Lothering was little more than a trading post that served the fortress of Ostagar to the south. Nowadays, it is larger, serving Redcliffe and the community of merchants and surface dwarves near Orzammar. Its location on the North Road gives it strategic value, so control of Lothering has historically been a matter of contention between the Southern Bannorn and the South Reach Arling. King Calenhad himself stepped in and awarded the town to South Reach in the Exalted Age, which has largely ended the feud, or at least the appearance of it.

_-From _In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of A Chantry Scholar_, by Brother Genitivi_

_AN: _Yes, I know that the Walking Bomb spell is actually Spirit rather than Entropy, but I think it fits better in Entropy, so that's where it stays. Please review (puppy eyes).


	9. The Village of Death

Reviewer Response:

Agent 94: I took your advice on the FUBAR bit. I was writing at one in the morning and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Garrett is Hawke; I'm not constrained by the same things that make everyone in game call Hawke by his last name. I agree that having original material is going to be difficult, but I do have some ideas, and a big plan for Orzammar that I've never seen done before (doesn't mean it hasn't, just that I haven't seen it). Thanks for your advice, though for the typos, I would appreciate it if you pointed them out.

Chapter 8: The Village of Death

Will's eyes jerked opened, before he reminded himself, once again, that there was no massive dragon-beast standing over him, that it was just a nasty dream. This did little to calm his racing heart. Neither did the knowledge that this was this was likely the archdemon, and that to end the Blight, he would have to kill it.

"And isn't that going to be a fun battle?" he muttered to himself, glancing over at the bed on the other side of the room from him. Sten lay silently, his sword held carefully on his chest, almost like he was a funeral statue. Will paused to study him for a moment. He had said little throughout the short trip from Lothering to the farmhouse. Will had noticed a slight limp, and had offered to use Heal to alleviate some of the pain. That conversation… hadn't gone well.

_"Heal? You are Bas Saarebas?" Sten said, studying Will intensely. _

_ "I'm afraid I don't speak Qunari. What does Bas Saarebas mean?" Will asked._

_ "Bas; those who are not of the Qun. Saarebas; 'Dangerous thing.' One who wields the forces of magic." Will glared at him, but Morrigan spoke up first._

_ "Yes, he's a mage, and so am I. You have a problem with that?" she asked. Sten paused, before shaking his head._

_ "I am not Arvaarad, and thus it is not my place to defend against your kind." He walked on, silent for the rest of the journey._

Will sighed, pulling his robes on. Why was it that everyone always looked for the bad in mages? True, the power could be used to hurt others, but did anyone think that that might be because mages spent their lives in fear and isolation, or were constantly taught that they were less than others and rebelled against the idea?

'Of course they don't.' a cold voice said in the back of Will head. "They're so self-righteous that they never think about anything other than their own power. They're just as bad as they accuse us of being!"

Still wrapped in such pleasant thoughts, Will left the room that the men had appropriated, and went downstairs. Alistair looked up; he had taken the final watch of the night.

"Bad dreams?" he asked, noticing Will's grim expression. Will nodded, glancing out at the rising sun.

"Does the damn archdemon have nothing better to do than torment us?" Alistair shook his head.

"That's not how it works," he said, munching on a bit of jerky. "The Archdemon isn't talking to you or I personally, we're just overhearing its orders to the rest of the horde." He sighed. "As Grey Wardens get older, they learn to block the darkspawn out. Some of the oldest even claim to being able to understand the Archdemon a bit, but I know I can't. Probably isn't much of a conversationalist, anyways." Will chuckled darkly, staring out one of the broken widows, idly noting that some of the bodies from the battle with the bandits yesterday was still there, even though he had watched a pair of bears pick over the corpses during his own watch.

"How did you become a Warden, Alistair?" he asked suddenly. "You said you were trained as a Templar. I was under the impression that was for life."

"I was recruited before I took my vows, so I'm not really a Templar." Alistair said carefully, studying the mage across from him. "I never really enjoyed being a Templar, the Revered Mother didn't like me much. I forget how many times I had to clean out the kitchen. Then Duncan came." Alistair smiled. "I still don't understand what he saw in me, but he decided that I was going to be a Warden. Happiest day of my life." He chuckled. "The Revered Mother was furious, I though that she was going to have both of us arrested, but after Duncan laid down the Right of Conscription, there was nothing she could do. Duncan saved me." Alistair's smile faded, obviously remembering his mentor. Will suddenly felt horrible for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry, Alistair. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories." Alistair shook his head.

"No, it's all right. I'll be fine." There was a moment of silence between them, before Alistair continued. "Say, how did you become a Warden? You never did tell me the details." Will had an urge to tell Alistair that it was none of his business, but bit his tongue. Alistair had shared, so he could at least give Alistair an idea.

"The Templar were going to make my best friend Tranquil, but he heard about it beforehand. I decided to help him escape, and it actually worked, he's out now. I, on the other hand, was caught, and Duncan decided that I would make a good Warden. Greagoir, he's the Knight Commander, was furious." Will's lips formed an evil smirk. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when I wander back into the Tower."

"Why was your friend going to be made Tranquil?" Alistair asked quietly. Will's eyes narrowed.

"Blood magic. Turns out he was guilty, but it's not like they were going to try him. Probably would have dragged him off in the middle of the night, pretending it was his Harrowing, then done the deed. Besides, no one deserves to have Tranquility forced upon them. Still, he's not exactly my friend anymore." Alistair looked warily at Will, but was interrupted.

"Am I interrupting something?" Leliana asked as she came in. Alistair quickly shook his head. Morrigan followed not long afterwards, berating Thunder for trying to get into her herb pack.

"All I ask is that you control your dog, Warden!" she snapped, glaring at Will. He shook his head, trying not to grin. Thunder seemed determined to draw Morrigan out of the shell she had made for herself, and while Will though his heart was in the right place, he wasn't sure that the mabari was going about it the right way.

"Please try not to antagonize Morrigan, Thunder. She could probably turn you some garish combination of pink and orange if you annoy her enough, and if she does, I'm not helping you." Thunder's mouth dropped open as he gave Will and Morrigan a horrified look. Leliana and Alistair laughed, and Morrigan gave Thunder a very superior look.

"Are we moving on?" Sten asked simply as he entered the room. Will nodded.

"Indeed." The whole group gathered around a map of Fereldan that Will had gotten yesterday, which he had laid on the table. "But first, we have to decide where to go. "We currently have four possible destinations, the three Grey Warden treaty allies, and Arl Eamon. The Dalish Elves, are probably located somewhere in the Brecilian Forest. The city of Orzammar is here, in the Frostback Mountains. The Circle of Magi is here, in Lake Calenhad, not far from Redcliffe, where we will hopefully find aid against Loghain, who will probably try to hinder us. Thoughts?"

"Why are we focusing on this Loghain? Why would he oppose you when there are darkspawn to be fought?" Sten said, narrowing his eyes. Will shrugged.

"Question of the age there, Sten. However, the fact is that he has declared the Grey Wardens traitors, and abandoned the King at Ostagar, leading to the Darkspawn victory. We have to find some way to neutralize him. The question is, do we do this first, or later." There was a moment of silence.

"I would recommend that we do it now." Leliana said slowly. "From what I know, both the Dalish and the dwarfs are very traditional; we shouldn't have to much trouble getting them to agree, and the mages will also be ready to help. Political problems, however, have to be headed off quickly."

Will glanced around, and no one else seemed to have any other ideas, though Morrigan and Sten didn't look particularly happy. "Sounds good. We'll head for Redcliffe."

The party left the house and headed west towards the Imperial highway, but as they approached, Will's senses started tingling.

"Darkspawn!" he hissed. "Up on the highway!" Everyone tensed, drawing their weapons, preparing to move forward carefully. Then, they heard a shout from the highway.

"Someone help us!" Will's eyes widened.

"Thunder! Hurry!" he snapped. Thunder sprinted forward, barking madly, with the rest in hot pursuit.

The darkspawn seemed to have been approaching a small cart, but had turned at the sound of Thunder's barks. A single Alpha raised its giant hammer and roared, directing its band forward. Thunder met them, holding them away from the ramp for the few crucial seconds to let Alistair, Leliana, and Sten to get their footing. Will and Morrigan, meanwhile, spread out to clear their fields of fire. Half of the darkspawn fell to a volley of magical fire, ice, electricity, and entropy. However, the rest closed with the melee fighters.

Alistair smashed his shield into the first Genlock's face, knocking it back. Leliana, meanwhile, redirected a sword slash with her blades, impaling the monster, and then shoving its body into another darkspawn. Sten's attacks were no less effective, his massive reach allowing him to kill two enemies with one strike, then bringing the pommel of his sword up to another's face. Alistair, after taking out his first enemy, had moved to challenge the Alpha. It's first swing barely missed, but it gave Alistair time to slash its shoulder. The maul fell from its fingers, but that didn't stop it from punching Alistair in the face hard enough to dent the helmet, driving him back. Thunder took the opportunity to tackle the Alpha, but was unable to tear at its throat through the armor. However, it was able to hold the creature still long enough for Morrigan to kill it.

"Well, that was harrowing. Many thanks for your timely rescue!" Will glanced back at the cart, only to see two dwarfs climb out. "I feared we were done for. Much obliged."

"Your welcome." Will said, putting his staff away. The dwarf who was speaking was middle aged, had brown hair and a beard, and was dressed like a merchant. The other, younger dwarf, however, drew Will's attention. He had big, staring eyes, and a wide smile. What really attracted Will's attention, however, was how Will got a sense of power radiating off him. If Will didn't know better, he would have said that the dwarf was a mage, but that was impossible. It was common knowledge that, since the dwarves had lived in close proximity to lyrium for centuries, they had developed a resistance to magic, which prevented them from wielding magic.

"The name's Bodahn Feddic, merchant and entrepreneur. This here is my son, Sandal. Say hello, my boy." Sandal stared at Will, and complied. His voice was airy, and Will felt a smile tug at his lips. "The road's been mighty dangerous these days. What brings such formidable people out here, maybe we're going the same way."

"I doubt you'd want to come. We're Grey Wardens." Alistair said. Bodahn looked surprised.

"Yes, that would explain your skill, but I heard rumors that your lot were all killed. Seems that's not the case. Well, no offense, but I fear that your path will be far too action-packed for my boy and I. Although…" His face turned thoughtful. "You Wardens are probably going to need some kind of logistical support, and Sandal here is good at enchantment. We could grant that, and in return, we would be fairly safe when on the road. Everyone wins."

"Enchantment!" Sandal cried happily, clapping his hands. Will's eyebrows rose. Enchantment was a notoriously tricky skill, though incredibly useful. In the Circle, the Formari, a special group of Tranquil, handled the enchanting, the sale of which being where the circle got its funds. If Sandal here could actually enchant…

"Hey, Alistair, doesn't your sword need some enchanting?" Will asked. Alistair nodded, and drew his sword. "Let's see what your boy can do." Bodahn smiled, before gently taking the sword and handing it to Sandal.

"Enchantment!" Will had never gotten a chance to watch an enchanting, but it certainly seemed like Sandal knew what he was doing. In an amazingly short time, Sandal carefully lifted the sword, which was now crackling with lightning. Bowing, he handed it back to Alistair, who studied the sword, before nodding.

"This is really good." Alistair said. Bodahn smiled.

"He knows his enchanting, my Sandal," he said proudly. "Of course, certain weapons are better suited for being enchanted, and there are better runes than the one Sandal happened to have on hand." Will glanced around, and received nods from the rest of the team.

"Ok, you can come along." It took a short time to get Bodahn's cart turned around, but eventually, the group continued on to Redcilffe.

* * *

><p>Will glanced around as he walked down the highway. The group had drifted apart as they traveled. Morrigan had mentioned that she was scouting the road ahead of them, and had flown off. Leliana had started walking by Bodhan, and the two seemed to be having a nice conversation. Sten had not spoken a word, but Thunder had moved to walk by him. Bored, Will quickened his pace until he was walking with Alistair.<p>

"So, you mentioned that you know Arl Eamon. How's that?" Alistair sighed.

"He raised me, ever since I was a kid." Will glanced at his fellow Warden.

"Why would he do that? Your not his son, are you?" Alistair shook his head firmly.

"No, he's not, though there are some who though that he was." Alistair groaned as he saw Will raise his eyebrows. "I'm a bastard, ok, and before you make any smart comments, I mean the fatherless kind." He turned to look strait forward. "My mother died giving birth to me, she was a serving girl in Redcliffe. Arl Eamon allowed me to live in the castle. He's a good man. It was good while it lasted" Will cocked his head at Alistair.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Alistair sighed.

"I was sent to the Chantry to be trained when I was ten. Well, first I was just sent to a monastery, but the Templar saw that I could be trained and took me."

"What changed?" Will asked, curious. Alistair let out his breath in a hiss.

"The Arl got married. His new wife, an Orlesian noblewoman, couldn't help but hear the rumors that I was the Arl's bastard. She despised me, and eventually convinced Arl Eamon to send me to the monastery. I was actually kind of glad to go, she had made it quite clear that the castle was no home to me." Will stared at Alistair. Forcing a child to leave their home, to be locked away from the world, shaped into a living weapon, all these things struck too close to home for Will.

"Why did Arl Eamon agree?" he asked. Alistair shook his head.

"He didn't, at first. Said that he had offered me a home, and was going to stick by that decision, but the Arlessa was insistent. Eventually, he caved. I was furious at him." Alistair chuckled mirthlessly. "I had exactly one thing of my mother's, a cheap Chantry amulet. When I heard that the Arl had finally given in, I was so furious that I tore it off and threw it at the nearest wall. It broke, of course. Stupid thing to do, really." Will continued to stare at the man walking beside him, feeling something he had never thought he would feel for a Templar; pity.

"What about your father. Who was he?" Alistair stiffened.

"My father isn't important to this discussion," he said heatedly. Will nodded, knowing what it felt like to not want to talk about something. "What about you, William? What were your parents like?"

"We lived in the Alianage, of course. I was the oldest of three; the others were twins, Soris and Shianni. My parents were both servants at some noble house or other, but we got by. I actually spent most of my time with my cousin, Kallian." Will smiled sadly. "Haven't seen anyone in fourteen years. They could all be dead for all I know." Alistair nodded, and the two fell silent, eventually drifting apart.

"You alright, William?" Leliana asked. "You seem down." Will glanced at her, nodding.

"I'm fine. Alistair and I were just talking about… stuff." Will was about to move on, before he remembered something. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something. Well, actually two things." Leliana nodded, indicating that he should continue. "First, is there some kind of training program to teach Sisters to fight, because you're the second one I've met, and the second that can fight." Leliana laughed slightly.

"I'm not technically a Sister at all; lay sisters simply live in the Chantry and lead religious lives, we don't take any vows. And if there is official combat training, I've never heard of it. I learned how to fight before coming to the Chantry, it's not really important." Will got the feeling that she was deliberately distracting him, but decided to let it go.

"Indeed. Well, I also wanted to ask about the vision you mentioned." Leliana's smile faded.

"I knew this was coming," she sighed. "It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best." She took a deep breath. "I had a dream, yes. There was a deep, impenetrable darkness, which flowed towards and around me, and it was emitting a terrible, ungodly noise, like thousands of voices screaming in terror and pain. I ran from the darkness, but it just kept coming. I tried to climb… something, I'll never know what it was, but the darkness was too fast. I fell, watching it swallow everything, even the sun. I was scared, but then…" Her smile returned. "A flame appeared in the darkness, a raging fire that drove back the night. No matter how many times the darkness tried to overcome this flame, it always shone strong. I ran towards it, and it shielded me." Will raised his eyebrows.

"Your sure that's not just you being afraid of the dark?" he asked. Leliana chuckled slightly.

"Indeed. After I woke, I thought I might have accidently eaten something strange for dinner, to get such a weird dream. But then, when I went into the garden for my prayers, I saw the most incredible thing. The garden has many flowers, but there was one rose bush that had always been dead. In the two years I had gone to that garden, it never once bloomed, not even a single flower. Why, the previous day, I had looked at it, and it was as dry and gnarled as ever. But that morning, there was a single, beautiful, fully-grown flower. As I stood there, staring at it, several other sisters entered the garden, and they were all as shocked as I was. We tried to figure out what had happened, and no-one had an explanation other than the hand of the Maker." Leliana glanced over at Will, who was considering what she had said. On the one hand, the idea of the Maker was personally getting this random person involved in ending a Blight seemed absurd, but if what she said about the flower was true…

"Doesn't the Chantry say that the Maker abandoned us, turned his back?" he asked. Leliana shook his head.

"I don't believe that. He may have stepped back from the world, but I can't believe that he has truly left. I hear him every day, in the wind. I feel him in the sun. I believe he watches us still, filled with sorrow at how we have turned our backs on him. That's what I believe." Will stared at her. Had she just made the Maker… _likable_?

"Believe what you will. That's all any of us can do," he said finally. "And I'm happy you decided to help, we need every bit we can get." Leliana smiled warmly, but they were interrupted by a crash. Glancing over, Will saw that Sten had tripped on the uneven stone and fallen to his knees. He rushed over.

"You all right?" he asked. Sten pushed himself to his feet.

"I am, Warden," he said simply. Will raised his eyebrow.

"How long were you in that cage, anyways?" Sten studied him.

"Almost three weeks" Will's mouth opened slightly, he had expected the answer to be in days.

"And, they fed you?" Sten shook his head. "So you're saying that you haven't eaten anything for _three weeks_ and your still _alive_!" Sten nodded. How could he be so calm about this! "I knew Qunari were tough, but that doesn't seem physically possible!"

"Perhaps it isn't, for your kind." Sten said simply, before continuing to walk down the road. Will followed, still trying to figure out how Sten had survived.

Morrigan took the opportunity to land and revert to her human form. "Warden, I think you should know that a group of bandits have set up further up the road. However, I don't think we'll have a lot of trouble, some of them are the survivors of the group we defeated in front of Lothering."

'_We_ defeated. I don't recall anyone else doing anything.' Will though, though he smiled grimly and drew his staff. "Let's see if these idiots remember the lesson they learned last time." He wandered down the road. Before long, he saw the bandits' barricade.

"Halt." A tall man shouted as he stood up, holding up his hand. "This here road is…" Will smirked as he heard screams from behind the barrier, and saw several men fleeing for their lives. "The fuck?"

"Did they mention why they were here?" Will called back. The bandit shook his head. "Let me give you a hint: it involved fireballs, death, and an annoyed elf." The bandit scoffed.

"You don't seriously expect me to believe a puny thing like you could defeat us. Now hand over all the goods in that cart you have with you, and we might let you live." Will shook his head.

"One last warning. Back off or die."

"Oh, well, too bad. Archers… OH SHIT!" the bandit leader screamed as Will's fireball covered the distance, blowing apart the barricade. The eight archers who had been hiding behind it were thrown in every direction, several still alive but burning. Four more bandits poked their heads out from behind a second barricade, before following the first group to leave down the highway.

"Morons." Will muttered, "You'd think the staff would mean something to these people. I thought the Chantry gave everyone 'recognize mage' classes so that they could inform on apostates." Alistair shrugged.

"I doubt this lot was the scholarly type. Still, some of them got the message." They reached the remnants of the barricade. "Problem; how are we going to move all the junk you left?" Will smiled sheepishly, whereas the barrier had looked fairly mobile before, like a giant gate, it was now scattered all over the highway, with parts still on fire.

"Maybe I overdid it a bit, you think?" he said as he started freezing the fires. Everyone nodded. "I'll try not to blow up any more barricades, Ok."

It took nearly five minutes for the rest of the rubble to be cleared off the road, and the salvageable goods to be taken. Sten found a greatsword that didn't look like the blade was about to fall off from the hilt, but didn't look any happier with it than the other one. They then continued on towards Redcliffe.

* * *

><p>Four uneventful days latter, the Wardens reached the outskirts of Redcliffe. Will was surprised to see that the outer farm holds seemed deserted, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.<p>

"Hey, William, can I talk to you for a moment?" Alistair said as he quietly came up to Will.

"Sure, go ahead." Alistair took a deep breath. Will suddenly realized that he probably wasn't going to like whatever Alistair had to say.

"You know how we were discussing why Arl Eamon raised me? And how I said that my father wasn't important?" Will nodded slowly. "Well, I think that declaration might have been… premature. You see, well, _myfatherwasKingMaric._" Will stared at him.

"Mind trying that again? I didn't understand a word you said after 'well'." Alistair glared at Will.

"My. Father. Was. King. Maric." he said, biting off each word. Will's jaw dropped.

"How? How does that even make sense?" he asked. Alistair groaned.

"Do I have to draw you a diagram! King Maric came to Redcliffe, the queen was Arl Eamon's sister, after all. Then, he took a liking to my mother, they did the deed, and nine months latter I came out. Of course, Cailin had already been born at that point, so there was no way I could be claimed. Therefore, Arl Eamon took me in, made sure I understood that I was never going to be king, and kept me from the nobility." Will continued to stare at Alistair.

"Why tell me this now?" he asked.

"Arl Eamon will probably mention it, if we can figure out a way to cure him. He'll probably have some plan for me. He has a plan for everything." Will nodded, deep in thought.

"Ostagar," Will said suddenly. Alistair looked confused. "That's why King Cailin wanted you in the tower, rather than on the field. Who else knows about this?"

"Duncan did. Arl Eamon pulled him aside at some point and told him, after I became a Warden. Loghain probably does, as well. Other than that, I don't know. I try to keep it from people, they always start treating me different, either the resent me or coddle me. Even Duncan did." Alistair said bitterly, speaking to his feet. "Well, aren't you going to yell at me for keeping vital information secret."

"I fail to see how that's vital at the moment. You have a link to the throne, that might help later on, but now, we have more important things to do, As for you not telling me, I know the desire to keep secrets, and to be judged for how your born." Alistair's head jerked up.

"Really, you don't mind." Will shook his head. "Great, we can go back to pretending that I'm just some nobody Warden too lucky to die with the rest at Ostagar."

"Everyone is someone, Alistair, so long as they believe themselves to be." Will said quietly. Alistair raised an eyebrow.

"That sounded like a quote. Who was it?" Will simply walked faster, throwing one last line over his shoulder.

"A dear friend, no one you would have heard of." Will felt his eyes prickle slightly, but ruthlessly forced the memories down. Thunder glanced up at him, whining slightly. Will gently ran his hand across the mabari's head.

"Hail!" a voice called from the bridge leading to the path to Redcliffe. Will glanced up, and saw a man standing there. He wore rough leather armor, as had a shortbow strung over his shoulder. He almost ran towards them. "I thought I saw travelers on the road, but I couldn't believe it. Have you brought help? Are there more coming?" Will stared at him.

"If you mean Arl Eaton's illness, we'll see what we can do, but…" The man was shaking his head.

"He could be dead for all we know! We have more than enough problems! Has no one heard?" he took a deep breath before continuing. "The village is under siege. Monsters come from the castle every night, and attack till dawn. We can't hold out much longer!" Will heard Leliana gasp behind him, as well as a muttered curse from Alistair. "So many are dead, and we're all afraid we'll be next."

"What kind of monsters? Darkspawn?" Will asked, the man shook his head.

"No, not 'spawn. I don't know what they are." The man took a deep breath. "I should take you to Bann Teagan, he'll be able to explain better than I." He gestured that they follow him, then lead them down the path. Will waved for Bodhan and Sandal to stay back, and Thunder to guard them.

Redcliffe was located in a gorge in the cliffs near Lake Calenhad, hence its name. As one travels farther down, the buildings get larger, until the Chantry at the center of town is reached. It was here that the man took them, passing a few people on the way. Each one looked hopefully at the band. Will saw a group of men practicing archery inside a set of barricades by the door, and noted that they were not very good at it. Their guide pushed the doors open, and entered.

The first thing Will heard as the door opened was a cry of pain, coming from the back. The guide ignored this, continuing towards the alter. Three men were gathered around a table, muttering and pointing at the map upon it. The leader, who was carrying a sword and shield, looked up as the guide coughed politely.

"Thomas, isn't it?" he asked, straitening up and brushing his light brown hair out of his eyes. "Who are these that follow you?" Thomas gestured Will forward.

"Yes, sir. They are travelers who just arrived. I thought you would like to see them." The young lord nodded, smiling wearily.

"Thank you, Thomas. You can return to your post. Greetings, travelers. I am Bann Teagan, brother to the Arl."

"I know you, Bann Teagan." Alistair said, smiling. "When we last saw each other, I was shorter, and covered in mud." Bann Teagan looked confused for a moment, then laughed quietly.

"Alistair! It is good to see you again. I feared that you had fallen with the rest of the Grey Wardens alongside my nephew." Alistair's smile froze.

"I yet live, no thanks to Loghain." Teagan growled slightly at the name.

"Indeed. He would have us believe that the Wardens were the King's killers. I don't believe it. If that were so, the Warden's would have something to gain, which they clearly do not. Those are the lies of a desperate man, nothing more." Teagan glanced back at Will and the others. "Are these Wardens, as well?" Alistair shook his head.

"Only William, here. The rest are just people who have decided to help us. William's in charge." Teagan looked slightly surprised.

"Why are you here, my I ask?" Will stepped forward.

"We came to see if your brother was in any position to give us aid against Loghain, but it seems there are worse problems here." Teagan nodded sadly.

"Indeed. Thomas told you about the attacks, no doubt." Will nodded. "These monsters have been attacking for days. I arrived a few days ago, before things got really bad. The militia was able to defend against the first few waves, but their numbers kept growing." He turned back to the table, sighing. "My knights and I were able to turn the tide briefly, but the next night, disaster struck. We had become complacent, and the beasts exploited that. While we were guarding the pass, the enemy struck from the lake. So many died that night. It only got worse from there. I fear that, if nothing changes, we will not survive this night."

"What are we dealing with, here?" Will asked.

"I don't know. They look like corpses, but they walk like men and kill like monster. And that's the root of our problem, for every person we lose, another enemy is born, after they drag the bodies away."

"Demons." Will said quietly. "They can possess almost anything with life left in it, meaning that the fresh dead are a perfect target." He groaned. "Which means that there's something in the tower, either a powerful demon or a blood mage which is summoning the lesser demons to attack." Teagan stared at him.

"But how, how is that possible. Arl Eamon is a devout man, he would never have allowed a blood mage to work for him." Will shook his head.

"Blood mages don't carry signs." he growled. Teagan sighed.

"I'm afraid I must ask for your help, Wardens. Redcliffe will fall without you." Will nodded.

"We'll do what we can." Teagan sighed in relief. He gestured Will and Alistair to follow him to the table. The other two men there, an armored knight and an older man wearing militia garb, nodded.

"This is Murdock, the mayor of the village and new head of the militia, and this is Sir Perth, one of Eaton's knights who returned from the seeking of the Urn. Gentlemen, as you might have heard, this is William of the Grey Wardens. He has agreed to help us." Murdock scoffed.

"Grey Warden. We need miracle workers, not darkspawn hunters." His voice was husky, he had probably been shouting too much recently. Sir Perth glared at him.

"If he is willing to aid us, I would not suggest annoying him. Forgive Murdock, Warden. We're all on edge." Will nodded, then looked at the map.

"So what's been happening?"

"They used to only come directly from the castle, here. We would engage here, and hold them back. However, now that we know they can swim, we have to guard the village itself. Unfortunately, we just don't have enough men. Each night, more are picked off, and my knights simply can't be in both lines at once. I would hope you brought an army, but that would be too much to ask for, wouldn't it?" Will nodded.

"I'm afraid so, but all six of us are strong. Morrigan and I are mages, Alistair was trained as a Templar before he became a Warden, Sten's a Qunari, we have a Mabari, and I have no clue where Leliana picked here skill up, but she's an amazing archer." Murdock looked up at the end.

"Could she try to teach the militia something, then." Will nodded.

"In all likelihood. Is there anything else you need?"

"Better equipment. The only smith in town, Owen, refuses to help. Crazy bastard demanded that we attack the castle and rescue his daughter, refused to listen to reason. If you could get him to help, we might get somewhere."

"More soldiers wouldn't hurt, either." Sir Perth spoke up. "There's a dwarf in town, name's Dwyn. He's locked himself in his house, determined to wait the monsters out. He's good, though, and if he would come out, it would be a great boon. Other than that, not much to do but wait and pray." Will nodded.

"Very well. I'll get Leliana to help the militia train, and work on Owen and Dwyn." Murdock walked off, muttering something about Wardens. Sir Perth bowed slightly to Bann Teagan before taking his own leave. Will walked back to where the rest of the team was waiting.

"Why are we helping, Warden?" Sten rumbled as Will approached. "I was under the impression that it was the duty of your order to defeat the Blight. We are not facing darkspawn here." Alistair and Leliana glared at him.

"Oh, so it being the right thing to do isn't enough for you?" Alistair snarled.

"The Qunari is right." Morrigan said simply. "We waste our time and strength here, trying to defend people too weak to protect themselves. We should continue on to those who are obligated to help us." Alistair looked ready to start shouting, but Will headed him off.

"It's not that simple. Have you two forgotten why we came here in the first place? If we don't get someone to stand against Loghain directly, he's liable to attack us and ruin everything. We need the help of Arl Eamon, though Bann Teagan would probably suffice if the Arl is dead." He sighed. "To do that, however, we need them alive, and for Arl Eamon, we need a way into the castle. That involves destroying the enemy here. Any questions?" Sten's face remained impassive, and Morrigan looked bored. "Good. Leliana, Murdock asked you to try to teach the militia how to fight." She bobbed slightly, before leaving. "Morrigan, would you do a fly-by on the castle, see if there's any sign of what happened in there?" She nodded curtly. "Alistair, Sten, first go get Bodahn and Sandal down here, maybe they have something that will help. Then, search the village for anything else. Alistair, you know the area, and Sten knows what will be helpful." Both nodded, and followed the ladies out. Will sighed slightly, before walking silently towards the exit.

He was halfway there before he registered the sound of sobbing. He paused for a moment, watching the young woman. Finally, cursing his own soft heart, he wandered over.

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked quietly. She looked up.

"Oh, no, no I'm sorry." She said, desperately trying to dry her eyes. "I'm Kaitlyn, and I didn't mean to bother you." Will shook his head.

"I'm not bothered. Sure there's no way that I can help?" She stared at him for a moment, before starting to cry again.

"My brother! My little brother Bevin ran off. He's all I have left, after mom was dragged away. He said something about going to save her. He's twelve! There's no way he could face all those monsters! I don't know what would happen if I lost him!" Will watched her break down, before carefully patting her on the shoulder.

"Is there anywhere else he might have gone, rather than the castle?" he asked, because if the child had gone up there, there was nothing he could do for him.

"He might have gone home, but I looked there!" Kaitlyn wailed. Will smiled gently.

"I'm going to be around the village. If I see him, I'll tell him your worried about him." Kaitlyn looked up, her tear-stained face hopeful.

"You will? If you find him, I'll… oh thank you!" Will held up a hand.

"I'm afraid I can't guarantee I find him, only that I'll try," he said. She nodded, but still looked hopeful. Will supposed that she was willing to cling to any hope for her brother.

Will walked across the square towards the blacksmith's shop, watching Leliana point out what the militia were doing wrong and how they could improve. Several of the men didn't seem to appreciate her help very much, until she calmly put an arrow in the center of the furthest target. Chuckling slightly, Will reached over and knocked on the door.

"Go away!" came a grumpy, drunken shout from within. "Curse you! Leave me in peace!" Will knocked again, louder this time. "You've already taken everything from my stores, there's nothing left."

"Owen? I need to talk to you." Will called. There was a pause.

"Who's that, out there? You're not Murdock. Go away. I've been through enough." Will thought he heard a sob at the end. He lowered his voice slightly.

"I'd prefer not to speak through a locked door, Owen. Let me in, so we can talk. Maybe I can help you."

"Hm?" Owen said, and Will had a feeling that the man had just finished taking a drink. "Oh, fine. I'll get the door. Don't know how much good it'll do." After a moment, the lock clicked. Will waited a moment, before slowly opening the door.

Owen was an old man, and looked every one of his years. He was leaning against a pillar in the back, clutching a bottle in his hand. He glared blearily at Will.

"Well, you wanted to talk, now we're talking. What do you want?" Will stepped further in, closing the door behind him, trying not to wrinkle his nose too much.

"The militia is in desperate need of your assistance, Owen." The blacksmith snorted, before taking another swig.

"Why should I do anything for them, when they won't for me?" he asked. "They wouldn't save my daughter, Valena. She's one of the arlessa's maids, and she's trapped up in that damn castle." The bottle slipped from Owen's fingers as he buried his face in his hands. "She was my life, ever since my wife passed on two years ago. Now she's gone, too. Why should I care about anything that happens to me, or the village, or anyone?" He glared at Will again, who shook his head.

"Valena sounds like a wonderful person, Owen." The smith nodded, a sob escaping his lips. "What would she think of what your doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Owen asked, though his voice told Will that he knew exactly what Will was getting at.

"What would Valena think about you leaving everyone to die? Surely she has friends, here in the village. If anything were too happen to them because you refused your assistance, what would she say?" Owen stared at him, before bowing his head and sobbing again. "That's what I thought. Besides, not all hope is lost, Owen."

"Huh?" Will smiled slightly at Owen.

"If we win here tonight, especially if we have a particularly crushing victory, we're going to go and figure out what happened up there, and we may find your daughter hiding in a broom cupboard somewhere, totally safe. Of course, for that possibility to be worth anything, we need to survive the night, and that would be more likely if you were to repair the militia's weapons." Owen looked up at him, hope written in ever line of his face.

"You promise? You promise that if I repair these weapons, and we win tonight, you'll go up to that castle and find my daughter." Will nodded, holding out his hand. The blacksmith grabbed it, shaking firmly. "Thank you, good sir! I'll get to work right away. When the militia goes into battle, they'll be wielding and wearing my best work!" Will nodded, gently doing his best to magically clear the alcohol from Owen's system. He wasn't sure how much success he had. "For Valena!" Owen said happily, stomping over to the forge and starting to light it. Will left quietly.

He saw Murdock talking with one of the militia members, and quickly went over. Murdock turned, before gesturing the man away.

"You need something, Warden?" he asked coldly. Will chuckled.

"Just letting you know that Owen has agreed to do his repairs, so you should get whatever you need over there." Murdock stared at Will, his mouth open slightly.

"Just like that? I've tried for _hours_ to get him to do his job, and you just waltz in there, spend five minutes, and just like that, he's back to work? What did you do to him?" Will smiled mysterious.

"Trade secrets." He nodded, then turned to head deeper into the village, listening to Murdock calling for the armor and weapons to be gathered and sent to Owen. Will glanced at the small map he had been give. Dwyn's house was not far from the dock, and Will was rather surprised that he was still alive. He arrived soon afterwards, and knocked on the door. There was no answer.

"Please open the door, Dwyn. It's not Murdock this time." Will was sure he heard a snort from inside, but still no words. "I'm afraid it's really important that I speak with you. I don't want to damage your door, but will if you refuse to answer me." Still nothing. "Very well." Will pulled the Rod of Fire from his robes, and carefully burned through the lock. The door opened easily.

"Didn't think you had the guts." The voice came from a rough-looking dwarf, standing between two equally rough-looking humans. All were glaring at Will as he entered.

"Well, I did warn you, Dwyn," he said mildly, very deliberately putting the rod away. Dwyn raised an eyebrow at this.

"You're leaving yourself defenseless in the house you just broke into?" he asked, and one of the men took a step forward. All three, however, backed off when Will idly lit his hand on fire.

"A mage is never unarmed, Dwyn. Now, do you want to hear what I came here for?" The dwarf scoffed.

"I already know, and the answer is no, I won't come out and get myself killed for this stupid village. My boys and I have plenty of supplies, and can swing our weapons better than any of the fools out there. We have no need for them." Will leaned back, extinguishing the flames on his hand.

"You sure about that, Dwyn?" he asked. "You know, if the rest of the village is destroyed, eventually the demons are going to come for you."

"What demons? We're fighting corpses." One of the thugs spoke up. Will shook his head.

"Well, the demons are what move them. And demons aren't known for giving up. Even if it takes a thousand of them, they'll eventually break in, kill you, then drag your bodies back to be reanimated. Is that what you want?" The two thugs looked terrified, but Dwyn refused to back down.

"Nice try, but you have to do better than that." Will raised an eyebrow delicately.

"Do better than describing how you'll die? How about this, what I described will only happen to your two men, demons have a hard time with dwarves, due to your resistance. No, you'll likely be eaten by the corpses, and if you're lucky, they'll do it after your dead."

"Not like coming out will make a difference. If we're going to die anyways, why not die in here, on our own terms." Dwyn challenged.

"Except that by coming out, you'll have a better chance at surviving. You probably haven't faced all that many corpses, have you?" Dwyn remained silent, but the thugs both shook their heads, staring at Will with wide eyes. "That's because they see the villagers as the easier targets. Now, with two Grey Wardens, one a mage and the other a Templar, another mage, a Qunari, a mabari, and an expert archer joining the fight, and Owen repairing the militia's weapons, who will be the easier target?"

"Damn it, you're a Warden?" Dwyn asked, staring at Will, who nodded. "Fine, you've made your point. We'll be out there, but you better be there too. I'm not fighting for a lost cause!" Dwyn stormed out, with his two minions following. Will chuckled as they left.

"Just as planned." He turned and followed them back towards the town. Still no sign of Bevin, but Will felt that it couldn't hurt to take a quick look in Kaitlyn's home, that was really the most likely place for the kid to go.

Will entered the house quietly, then stood and listened. After a moment, he started moving stealthily through the house. It wasn't until the got to the dining room that he heard something. A soft gasp, outside of even normal elven hearing, came from the cabinet along one wall. Fortunately, Will's hearing had been sharpened by the Taint, and he turned to look at it.

"Bevin, is that you?" he called softly, trying to sound non-threatening.

"Go away, this isn't your home! This is my home!" Bevin called out. Will refrained from rolling his eyes, if the kid had wanted to hide, it would have been better to remain silent. He smiled slightly.

"Surely it would be more polite to let me speak to a face rather than a cabinet."

Bevin ignored him. "Why are you here? You don't belong here!"

"Kaitlyn's worried about you, Bevin. She's scared that she'll lose you too."

"Really? No, no I'm not going back. She just tells me not to be scared, even though she is. Why should I go back. I'm brave, I've got Grandfather's sword, and I'm going to fight them off!" Will chuckled quietly.

"From the cabinet?" Bevin paused.

"No, I just… I guess that isn't very brave, is it. I'm coming out now." The cabinet opened, and a young boy stepped out, pulling a curved sword with him. Will crouched down so he was around the child's height.

"Thank you, Bevin. You really should go back to the Chantry, Kaitlyn's hysterical." Bevin looked down sadly. "Nice sword, by the way. You said it was your grandfather's?"

"Yes. Grandfather was a great dragon slayer. If he were here, none of this would have happened. I thought, if I was brave like he was, I could use the sword to kill the bad people who took Mother."

"Well, you got the brave part down, but warriors need muscles, too. No offense, but you can barely lift that sword." Bevin nodded, sheepishly trying to lift the sword. "Why don't you bring the sword to the Chantry, just in case." Bevin nodded, and Will stood up, gesturing the boy to lead the way out.

After they left the house, Bevin headed off towards the Chantry, and Will glanced up the path, noticing Alistair and Sten had finished getting Bodhan into the village, and had set off to find anything useful in the village. Will watched several militia members unloading some barrels from Bodhan's cart, under the watchful gaze of Sir Perth. Will wandered over to see what was happening.

"Ah, Warden, good to see you," the knight said, nodding. "Have you had any luck?"

"I have, sir knight. Owen is working on the repairs the militia needs, and Dwyn has agreed to join the fight."

"Indeed? I'll admit I'm surprised, those are both very stubborn men." Sir Perth gestured at the unloading. "Your merchant friend was kind enough to offer us the oil he had for a fraction of its normal price. This will be useful." Will felt something press against his hand, and glanced down to see Thunder staring up at him. He gently patted the Mabari, before nodding respectfully to Sir Perth and moving over to see how Leliana was doing. She glanced up as he approached.

"Hey, William. Things going alright?" He nodded, watching the militia members. It might just be him, but they seemed to be doing better than when he first saw them. Leliana glanced around, before taking a step closer to him and lowering her voice. "Glance over there, towards that building. No, don't turn you head, just move your eyes." Curious, Will did as he was told. "Do you see that elf, leaning against the wall?" Will nodded slightly. The elf in question was watching the bustle. He glanced at Will for a moment, before looking away. "He's been there for quite some time, just watching. I saw him pull aside a militia member earlier, and he gestured in the direction you went. Something seems… off about him, but I can't quiet tell what." Will nodded slowly.

"I'll have a quick chat with him, see what he's up to." Will headed over towards the elf, who narrowed his eyes.

"Not looking for company," he said coolly. Will ignored him.

"Just curious as to why you're so interested in the goings on here." Will said mildly. The other elf kept glaring at him.

"Why wouldn't I be interested? This lot's the only thing standing between me and a messy death." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Then why aren't you helping? Surely another hand around the place would make things easier."

"Look, they said I didn't have to, that I should just stay out of the way. Look, please just go away."

"If you're so afraid, why are you still here. One person could probably get away."

"I can't, I was told… I mean, I… I just don't want to. Go away!" Will smirked quietly, glancing sidelong at the nervous elf.

"Who told you, and what did they tell you?" His foe gritted his teeth.

"No one told me anything! Just because you're a Grey Warden doesn't mean you can go around interrogating people! Now, if you'll excuse me…" he started to walk away, but was stopped by Will's voice.

"How did you know I was a Warden?" The elf stopped, but didn't turn.

"I just… overheard it. I really must be going." He tried to leave again, but ran into an invisible wall. He turned, opening his mouth furiously, but stopped when he saw Will had taken his staff from his back and leaned it against the wall beside him, keeping one finger on it.

"You know, it'll be so much easier for both of us if you start talking." Will said in a friendly tone that didn't disguise the threat in his posture.

"What? You can't… Oh fine! I'll talk, just don't hurt me!" The elf glanced around. "Look, my names Berwick, I was hired to keep an eye on the castle. I wasn't told anything about monsters, this was supposed to be easy!" Will already had a suspicion who hired him, but had to confirm it.

"Who hired you?" Berwick paused for a moment, before jerking as the air around him cooled in tandem with a blue mist forming around Will's staff.

"I was hired by Teyrn Loghain! My father worked for him back during the Revolution, he recommended me! Look, Loghain's a hero, why should I think badly of him. All I was told to do is watch the castle and report on any changes! I have a letter here to prove it!" he desperately dug in a pouch, before pulling out a letter and handing it to Will.

"It strikes me that anyone Loghain sent to spy for him would be at least a decent fighter." Will said mildly, studying the letter. It confirmed what Berwick had said.

"I can use a bow, Father taught me to, that's what he did during the war." Will nodded.

"I think you should help defend the village tonight. Seems fitting." Berwick opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when Will's eyes narrowed.

"You Grey Wardens are really scary, you know that?" he muttered as he stomped off towards the Chantry. Will let him go, but nodded to Thunder to follow. He sighed as he glanced up, the sun was going down rapidly. He walked back to the Chantry, watching Leliana giving out some last minute advice. He heard a noise behind him, and watched Sten and Alistair come back to the main square. He walked over to them.

"Any luck?" Both shook their heads.

"The villagers already took anything that could help, nothing for us to find." Will groaned, but he guessed that was to be expected.

"Make any preparations you need to, I'm going to see if there's anything else." Will waved down Bann Teagan, who had been talking to several militia members.

"I've heard about what you were able to accomplish, Warden William." He sighed, pushing some hair out of his eyes. "Let's reunite with Sir Perth and Murdock, make final plans." Will nodded, and the two headed into the Chantry. People were glancing up, fear in their eyes, though Will though he saw a few flickers of hope.

"We'll, we're better prepared than we've ever been." Murdock said as Will and Teagan arrived at the strategy table. "Do you have any insight, Warden?" Will studied the map.

"We only have enough oil for a small area, so it should go up with the knights. Fortunately, that frees up Dwyn and his men to aid the militia, along with most of my people. I'll take my mabari up with the knights. The rest will hold the barricade. That way, both points have a mage, and the warriors can hold the line so the militia can focus on shooting the enemy."

"We've been having a problem with bows. Half the time, they don't seem to have any effect." Will nodded.

"Remember, these things aren't technically alive. To "kill" one, you have to disrupt the demon's control over it, and that's generally focused in the head and the heart. Either of those places are destroyed, the demon loses control and the body reverts to being dead." Murdock nodded.

"Well, I think we actually have a chance, now." Teagan said firmly. "The sun is almost down. Let's all get to our positions." Everyone nodded, and headed off towards their troops.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Will was sitting in the clearing before the choke point he and the knights were using, watching the small flame in his hands. A barricade had been set up around a pit, which had been filled with about half the oil. The knights, all five of them, were talking quietly as they waited. A bark was heard, and Will glanced up to see Thunder sprinting towards him.<p>

"Everything's in place, boy?" he asked quietly. The mabari nodded, before pressing his head against Will. Smiling, he extinguished the fire and pet his friend. Suddenly, Will heard screams coming from the town below, and looked up at the bridge in the distance, watching a thick miasma spreading from the gates of the castle.

"It is time, men!" Sir Perth cried, standing up and hefting his massive sword. "Remember why we are fighting! We fight for our Arl, we fight for his brother, and we fight for the innocent people below us! Let us show these damned beasts back to the Void where they belong!" A roar rose from the assembled knights, as the walked forward towards the barricade. Sir Perth turned to Will. "Be ready to light the blaze, Warden, and may the Maker watch over you."

"May He watch over us all." Will said quietly, remembering the last time he had heard those words, hoping that this battle turned out better.

After a few minutes of tense waiting, Will saw the miasma creeping down the final slope towards them. Then, finally, came the first of the dead. Gaping jaws let out an un-earthly shriek, boney hands stretched out before it, wearing the tattered remains of the armor that failed to protect it in life, the nightmarish being rushed from the fog, intent only on ending the lives of the warriors arranged before it.

It didn't get very far, as an Arcane Bolt tore through its chest, silencing its heart. The next batch faired little better, as the crossbow bolts from the knights hit them, and finished off by a fireball. But enemies just kept coming.

"Light the pit, now!" Sir Perth cried, drawing his sword. Indeed, the monsters were beginning to clamber into the pit. Will smirked, and a river of fire flowed from the end of his staff, both lighting the oil and incinerating the monsters already in the pit. What followed could only be described as a slaughter. Time and again, the corpses tried to clamber out of the flames that were slowly consuming them, but were constantly repelled by the knights. Those few that were able to avoid the pit were picked off by Will or Thunder, and fireballs continued to ravage clusters as they came down the hill.

Will was just about to wonder why this was so easy when a voice cried out from the path.

"Warden, they came from the lake! We're holding out, but not for long! Please, help us!" Will glance back, noticing the terrified militia member beckoning him. He turned to Sir Perth.

"Hold here as long as you can! I'm going to help the militia!" Perth nodded, smashing a skeleton back into the fire with the pommel of his sword. Will took off after the militia member, sprinting down the path towards the Chantry. He came to a stop on the overhang, and saw a venerable carpet of undead clawing their way towards the barricade the militia was using. As he watched, one exploded, taking six others down with it. Many monsters had already been impaled upon the sharpened logs of the barricade, but the survivors were simply using these bodies to attempt to get over to the militia. Sten, Alistair, Dwyn, his thugs, and Bann Teagan were rushing along the barricade, forcing them back, but there was too much area for them to cover alone. Morrigan was lashing out constantly, but Will could tell she was starting to become tired. He growled, and threw a fireball into the largest cluster of enemies before running further down.

On the path, he and his guide met a trio of corpses. With a moan, they all charged forward. One fell to an Arcane Bolt, another was knocked back by an arrow, but the third lashed out with its claws at Will. His shield was up in plenty of time, however, and he shoved the beast back down the slope.

"Hold them off!" the militia soldier cried desperately, pressing himself up against the sharpened barrier. Will nodded, burning a cluster of enemies coming towards. After a moment, he spared a glance back, noticing the new board pressed against the barrier to make a bridge, and that the militia had already gotten over. Will swiftly followed, knocking the board back away from the barrier before killing another enemy.

The fight went on for another few minutes before Will heard a scream. He glances over to the other side of the barricade to see Thomas being pulled over the barricade by two corpses. Before he could even think to interfere, two arrows, one from Leliana and one from Berwick killed the enemies, and Thomas slid back inside the barricade. However, he had dropped his bow. Berwick cursed.

"Take mine!" he shouted, tossing it to Thomas. He drew a short sword and buckler from his back and rushed forward to help the other melee fighters hold the barricade.

Will lost track of time, there was only the constant shrieks of the dead. His fires had started to burn a streak into his eyes, but he couldn't afford to let up. Eventually, Morrigan was forced to transform into a bear and aid in the defense.

There was a moment of terror when a weak portion of the barricade caved in, leaving a gap, but Sten was there almost instantly, driving the enemy back with massive sweeps of his sword. Will was not far behind, and his flames helped to hold the tide back. Eventually, so many corpses were piled up that there might as well have still been a barricade there.

Another scare came when Alistair, having reached over to stab a corpse, accidently twisted the blade. The metal, worn from half a year's usage and strained to the limit, finally gave. With a snap, it broke in his hand. Cursing, he threw the hilt away and drew the dagger he carried and kept fighting.

Finally, after what seemed like days, as well as several more close calls involving militia members who came too close to the barricade, the tide started to recede. Eventually, as the sun peeked over the horizon, the flow stopped altogether, and the few remaining enemies retreated. The living were too busy cheering to have any thought of picking them off.

The battle for Redcliffe was over.

(Codex: Corpses)

"To anyone who doubts the wickedness of blood magic, I say: With your own hands, strike down the corpses of your own brothers who have fallen in battle to a maleficar, then we may discuss morality."

-_Knight-Commander Benedictus, in a letter to the Divine, 5:46 Exalted._

The walking dead are not, as superstition would lead you to believe, the living come back for revenge. They are, rather, corpses possessed by demons. The shambling corpse, controlled by a demon of sloth, causes its enemies to become weak and fatigued. Corpses possessed by rage demons go berserk and simply wade into their opponents mindlessly. Devouring corpses are held by hunger demons and feed upon the living. The more powerful demons rarely deign to possess a dead host.


	10. Shadows Hiding in the Castle

Review Response:

Agent 94: Hello again. Thanks for continuing to give good advice and support. I like your idea with Dragon mage, and I'm trying to fit it in, but not as a class. Will's going to be an Arcane Warrior, and I'm going to try to make that more than a mage with a sword and armor. Hope you keep reading and enjoying.

Chapter 9: Shadows Hiding in the Castle

Will groaned as he slumped back against the doorframe of the Chantry. He was exhausted, his mana reserves almost depleted by the battle.

'But it was worth it.' he thought, watching the militia cheer around him. The barred doors of the Chantry were opened, and civilians started pouring out and joining in the revelries. Most of these people had been convinced that they were living out their last hours, and were now greeting the new day with a combination of shock and ecstasy.

"Warden, I want to thank you." Murdock said as he walked over to Will. "When you first arrived, I thought you would just be able to delay the inevitable." He snorted, shaking his head. "Seems you Grey Wardens actually are miracle workers." He held out his hand, and Will took it briefly, nodding. Soon after, Will was mobbed by joyful survivors determined to shake the hand of the man they saw as responsible for their continued existence.

The chaos of the celebration lasted for hours, especially after the knights and Thunder returned from their post, and a final tally was taken. Impossibly, miraculously, not a single defender of Redcliffe had been killed, and only a few were badly injured. Morrigan was forced to transform and fly away to escape the cluster of men determined to show her their appreciation, while Leliana managed to avoid the crowd by sitting with the few remaining Chantry sisters and praying. Alistair was talking with the knights, grinning madly. Sten simply stood to one side, watching the celebration stoically. Thunder was barking happily, joining wholeheartedly in the revelry. Finally, Bann Teagan was able to drag Will away from the crowd.

"I'm afraid I have to speak with the Warden, good people!" he called, before gesturing Will to follow him. "Now that we have won here, we have an unprecedented opportunity. Whatever force was behind these attacks is surely reeling at the devastating blow we dealt this night, so now is our moment to press the attack." He lowered his voice. "I have a plan for entering the castle. Gather your team, and meet me up at the windmill." Will nodded, and Bann Teagan turned and headed up the hill, stopping briefly to grab Sir Perth and his men.

Will was quickly able to gather most of the party, though he had to send Thunder to find Morrigan. Most of the villagers had moved into the Chantry, but Will was hailed by Kaitlyn and her brother, Bevin.

"We were thinking, Warden." Bevin said shyly. He then held out the sword he was carrying. "It doesn't seem right that you all risked so much for us and get nothing in return." Will opened his mouth, but Kaitlyn stepped in.

"Grandfather would have wanted his sword to be used, rather than sit in a box gathering dust. Please, accept it."

"I don't know." Will said slowly. "This must have been in your family for ages. I can't just take it."

"But his sword broke." Bevin said, pointing at Alistair. "I heard some of the militia talking about it." Alistair nodded slowly, but seemed to feel the same way as Will. Leliana, however, looked at the pair thoughtfully.

"How about a compromise. We'll buy the sword. You two will need some money, and Alistair does need a replacement sword. Everyone wins." After a short argument, everyone decided that Leliana's solution was the best, and Will paid a sovereign for the sword. The beautifully crafted veridium blade was probably worth a lot more, but a sovereign was all that the siblings would accept. Will found this incredibly ironic, he had heard of bartering in the Tower, but it had always been the seller trying to get more and the buyer trying to pay less, not the other way around.

"You are too good, Warden." Kaitlyn said, smiling warmly. "I'll never forget all you did." Bevin nodded, and the two walked back to the Chantry. Will watched them go for a moment, before gesturing the others to follow him. Morrigan and Thunder returned as the group started up the hill, and before long they found Bann Teagan staring up at the castle, surrounded by his knights.

"It's strange, don't you think?" he asked quietly, not turning. "Standing here, it looks like nothings wrong." There was a moment of silence, before he shook his head and turned back to Will. "But enough of that, I should tell you my plan. You see; there is a secret passage here, in the mill. We can use that to get into the castle and find out what has happened to my brother."

"Then we should hurry." Will said. "The longer we wait, the more time the demon or whatever has to prepare for us." Teagan nodded, but suddenly paled and pointed behind will, cursing under his breath. Will spun around.

A woman was picking her way across a makeshift bridge over the oil pit. She wore a fancy-looking noble outfit with far too much lace, though it looked worn, and her hair was escaping from what must have been an elaborate bun. Following here was a guard, but Will noticed that the man's eyes were blank, almost as if he was asleep. Possessed, in all likelihood, or a blood-thrall.

"Teagan!" the woman called as she ran over to the Bann. She spoke with a thick Orlesian accent, so that Will almost couldn't understand her. Teagan quickly pushed past his knights, staring in shock at the lady.

"Isolde? How… how did you get here?" he asked. Lady Isolde came to a halt, with the possessed soldier right behind her. "What has happened here?"

"I'm afraid I don't have much time to explain, Teagan." Lady Isolde said quickly. "I must return soon. And I, uh, I need you to return with me Teagan. Alone." Will rolled his eyes.

"You're going to have to try a bit harder than that." Lady Isolde turned, glaring at Will, who smirked back.

"Who is this elf, Teagan?" she said coldly. Teagan opened his mouth, but Alistair spoke first.

"You remember me, don't you Lady Isolde. I'm a Grey Warden now, and so is William." She turned, noticing Alistair for the first time.

"Alistair?" she hissed, and Will was reminded of the enmity Alistair had told him about. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving my life, and the lives of the people in the village." Teagan said firmly, attempting to defuse the argument that was brewing. She looked between the two Wardens for a moment, before turning back to Teagan.

"I know that you want an explanation, Teagan." She seemed to want to step closer, but the guard behind her shifted noisily, and she refrained. "But there's not much to tell, really. There is… something in the castle, which has killed most within. I survived, along with my son, Connor, and my husband. But Connor will not leave. I think he has gone mad, he has seen so much death. Please," she whispered to Teagan. "I need your help. Connor is scared, confused. You're his uncle, you might be able to reason with him." Teagan looked torn, but Will wasn't giving up yet.

"You mentioned a 'thing'. What is it, and how does it manifest?" Lady Isolde glared at him again, before sighing.

"I do not know. All I have seen are the… bodies, which rise and attack. The mage who started this was caught, but still it continues." Will perked up.

"What mage." Lady Isolde suddenly looked very nervous.

"Just someone who was doing some work, in the Castle. I found out that he was poisoning my husband, and had him locked up. He must have placed some curse, in revenge." Will's eyes narrowed.

"You're not telling us everything," he said in a voice like ice. Lady Isolde bristled, but underneath her anger, Will saw fear.

"That's a rather impertinent accusation, don't you think?" she snapped.

"Not if it is true." Sten, of all people, rumbled from behind Will. Lady Isolde looked like she was going to keep arguing, but Bann Teagan stepped in.

"Enough, we solve nothing with this bickering!" he said fiercely. "The king is dead, Isolde. We need my brother. I will return to the castle with you." Lady Isolde looked delighted, as everyone else stared at Teagan in shock.

"WHAT?" Sir Perth cried, and Will could understand his distress. This whole business screamed 'Trap'. What was Bann Teagan thinking?

"Please, respect my wishes." Teagan said firmly, before turning back to Isolde. "Give me a moment, if you will. I must speak with the others." The guard behind Isolde glared around suspiciously, but did not speak. Lady Isolde nodded, before backing a respectful distance away. Will and Sir Perth converged on the Bann.

"I strongly recommend rethinking this, Bann Teagan." Will said. "There is almost certainly a demon on the loose in the castle, that guard is likely a thrall, and Lady Isolde isn't telling us everything." Teagan nodded.

"I know, but we have little choice. Maybe I can distract whatever is in the castle, so that you can find Arl Eamon and get him out. He's the priority here." Both Will and Sir Perth opened their mouths, but Teagan raised his hand. "Please, I know what could happen to me, but it remains my choice to make. I'm relying on you all. Sir Perth, you will have to follow me, try to avoid notice. You'll be seen, but that should convince the demon you have your own plan. That will take more heat off from William." He surreptitiously dropped a ring. "That'll get you into the castle. Please hurry." He nodded to everyone, before walking over to Lady Isolde, saying something quietly, and leaving with her. Will and Sir Perth glanced at each other, shaking their head's at the young lord's foolish courage.

"Well, I guess I should carry out my part of the plan. Maker be with you, Warden."

"Hold up." Will said, beckoning his people over. "Leliana, we're going to be in close quarters, archery isn't going to be much help. Go with the guards." She seemed about to argue, but decided that Will probably knew what he was doing. She and the knights set off, carefully following Teagan and the people from the castle.

"A fine plan." Morrigan said, drawing her staff. "Shall we go?" Will glanced around, getting a nod from everyone else. He quietly picked up the ring, before leading the way into the windmill.

It took a few minutes for them to find the trapdoor that guarded the passage, and another minute to find where the signet ring was inserted to unlocked it. After that, they started down the wet, stony passage towards the castle, and whatever lay within.

* * *

><p>Will slowly opened the door. The team had been walking for almost fifteen minutes, and Will was hoping that this was the end of the passage.<p>

It seemed it was, as there was a cluster of walking corpses at the other end of a short corridor, lined with cells. They seemed to be trying to get into one, and judging by the cries of fear, it was occupied. Will hissed in frustration, he couldn't use a fireball, he'd probably hurt the person inside. He did launch an Arcane Bolt, which slew one of the enemies instantly. The rest charged, but were met by Alistair, Sten, and Thunder, while Will and Morrigan continued to launch spells, ending the battle quickly and painlessly.

"Hello? Who's there?" someone called. Will's eyes widened.

"No fucking way…" he whispered, dashing past everyone else to see who was in the cell the beasts had been attacking. He stared, unable to comprehend the sight in front of him.

"Will? Is that you?" Jowan said, gazing at Will. "How did you get here?"

"Jowan…" Will whispered, still hardly believing his eyes. Suddenly, he reached through the bars of the cell, grabbed Jowan's collar, and yanked him closer. "How have you messed everything up already!"

"Please, stop that!" Jowan choked out, desperately trying to alleviate the pressure on his neck. Will let go, still glaring at the battered-looking mage in the cell. "Is that any way to greet…"

"What have you done, Jowan? Besides poisoning the Arl, that is." Will growled, causing Jowan to flinch.

"I guess you're still mad about that business at the Tower. I'm really…"

"_What. Have. You. Done_?" Will hissed, fire starting to lick his fingers.

"I know this looks suspicious!" Jowan cried. "I'm not behind the corpses and the killings. I did poison the Arl, but I was ordered to!"

"Who?" Will bit out, glaring at Jowan.

"Teyrn Loghain. He's the one who saved me, from the Templar who had caught me. He told me that Arl Eamon was a threat to the nation, and that I would be able to go back to the Circle if I did this one job."

"And you were stupid enough to believe that?" Will groaned, smashing his head against the bars. "You_ moron_! Teyrn Loghain can't force the Circle or the Chantry to do _jack_!"

"I mentioned that, but he was convinced!" Jowan pleaded. "He told me that he would be able to smooth everything over." He shrugged helplessly. "What other choice did I have?"

"Say yes, and then don't do it? Walk away? That's just what I can think of off the top of my head!" Will said scathingly.

"What then?" Jowan hissed. "Where do I go next?" Will ignored him.

"Why did he have _you_ do it, anyways? How did you get into the castle?" Will asked.

"Lady Isolde needed a tutor for her son. Someone who wouldn't tell anyone her son was a mage."

"What? Connor's a mage?" Alistair said, shocked. Jowan nodded.

"Yes. He had started to show the early signs; things moving, lights, the usual. Lady Isolde loves her son dearly, she didn't want to lose him, so she wanted me to teach him enough to hide his power." Will nodded. That was theoretically possible.

"I feel sorry for the poor kid, with an idiot like you for a teacher." Will growled. Jowan glared at him.

"Look, I know you're mad about the whole blood mage thing, but do you have to insult me with every sentence?"

"I just call them like I see them. Besides, if you didn't summon all these demons, then he must have, willingly or not. Great job you did." Jowan folded his arms.

"Hey, I was locked up before I could finish." He sighed. "Though I suppose that's probably what happened, Connor must have either been possessed or done something to sunder the Veil."

"Great." Will muttered, glaring at a small fireball in his hand, thinking. "Well, our course of action is clear. We have to find Connor."

"Before you go, I must ask…" Jowan stepped forward. "What happened to Lily? Is she… alright?" Will glared at him.

"She was probably sent to Aeonar. If she was, she'll be lucky to be dead at this point." Jowan's face fell.

"Oh Lily, I'm so sorry." Will felt a flash of pity for Jowan, before quashing it. He had brought all this on himself. He gestured to the others.

"Let's go." They started walking away, but Jowan called them back.

"Please, let me help. You're right; this is mostly my mess. Please let me help you clean it up." Will turned slowly, glaring incredulously at Jowan.

"Do I look like an idiot to you? All you'd manage would be to screw things up even more!"

"We could just let him go." Morrigan said.

"Oh yes, because letting a blood mage go is a brilliant idea!" Alistair hissed. "This is the guy you mentioned in your story, William?" Will nodded.

"Is that Alistair talking, or the Templar?" Morrigan said coolly, glaring at Alistair.

"I would think it would be common sense." Alistair shot back.

"Enough." Will said. "He stays here. Useless as he is, he may be needed at some point." With that, Will continued on.

Another group of corpses attacked as they left the dungeons, this group supported by a shambling corpse. Possessed by a more powerful sloth demon, it threw a ball of weakness at Thunder, who collapsed, barely able to move until Alistair dispelled it. Will was able to kill it with a blast of fire, while Morrigan froze a cluster of the corpses, and Sten drove the others back. Will tossed a small ball of fire, before guiding it through the skulls of several corpses, while Alistair started shattering the ones Morrigan had frozen. Thunder got up, and lunged onto one of the survivors who had been about to attack Will. Morrigan, meanwhile, had electrocuted the few remaining enemies.

A door crashed open, and an avatar of flame rushed through, roaring in rage. Will smirked, remembering his Harrowing. 'I've only grown stronger since then.' He tapped his staff, and a frozen cloud wounded the enemy. Morrigan also used Winter's Grasp, and the Rage demon vanished, it's remains falling back into the Fade.

"Which way, Alistair?" Will asked. The other Warden stood still for a moment, looking around, before pointing down one of the corridors.

"This way. It'll lead us to the main hall, which is connected to the rooms where Arl Eamon and his family sleeps. That'll be where Connor is." Gesturing Alistair to lead the way, Will set off.

The castle was eerie in its silence. Will had never been in a place like this. Torches still burned on the walls, the carpets were mostly clean, aside from the occasional splotches of blood. If Will hadn't known better, he would have said this was a completely peaceful place.

"Damn it, the doors locked." Alistair hissed, shoving it. Will nodded, before drawing the Rod and starting to burn through the lock. Suddenly, he heard a moan on the other side.

"Back!" he called, brining his staff up as the door splintered, ejecting another group of the dead, as well as a pair of strange, serpent-like beasts. These were shades, demons that had been made their way through the Veil but could find no host. Unlike wraiths, which made a body out of nearby material, shades simply used magic to contain themselves. Only sloth demons or stronger were able to do this, so shades were rarer than the wraiths.

Alistair moved forward, shoving two of the corpses back into the rest with his shield. Several tripped, but most steadied themselves. However, this gave Will and Morrigan time to take most of them down with magic. The two shades, however, ignored the melee and glided towards the mages. Sten intercepted the one heading for Morrigan, bringing his sword down upon it. It shrugged the blow off, however, and swatted him. Will blasted the other, but was forced to fall back behind his shield as the shade smashed into him. Thunder barked furiously as he threw himself at the demon that dared to attack his master. However, the body was not solid enough for Thunder to hold on too, and the shade ignored him and continued its assault on Will.

Alistair, meanwhile, had killed all of the remaining corpses, and turned to aid the others. Morrigan and Sten were having more trouble with their shade, as neither were as talented with shields as Will was. Alistair paused for a moment, whispering a prayer. His sword suddenly started shining, and he lunged towards the melee. His sword bit into the shade, which let out a shriek of pain as its energy was bled away by the Templar energies. It lashed out at Alistair, but his shield came up in plenty of time. Finally, Morrigan was able to focus her full power on the shade, and destroyed it with a blast of ice. Then, everyone turned on the final shade which was harassing Will.

"Looks like whatever has taken over here is powerful. Probably a desire or a pride demon." Will said, leaning back briefly against the wall. Thunder whined slightly, butting his head against Will's leg until he noticed the marks along the mabari's flank. "Sorry, boy." A quick Heal closed the wound, and the team set off again.

"What is it?" Will asked a short time later, as Thunder suddenly started barking. Then, he heard what Thunder had; more barking. A cluster of mabari rushed out of a room, charging towards Will and the others. Thunder suddenly started barking aggressively, and Will saw the madness in the other mabaris' eyes. He threw a fireball, but most of the enemies avoided the explosion, Thunder met one, and the two dogs became a swirling mass of claw and fur. Two tried to bring Sten down, but the Qunari was more than ready for them, using his sword to kill the first before coldly snapping the other's neck. Alistair was not quiet as successful, but his shield saved him from harm as his dog tackled him. Morrigan froze the dogs that tried to attack her, and only one made it to Will. It stumbled back as Will casually brought up an Arcane Shield for it to smash it's head against, before killing it with a blast of fire. Sten killed the mabari on Alistair, before watching Thunder's battle carefully, and striking down the other mabari.

"Good job, all." Will said, healing his mabari, who had taken several scratches and bites. He tensed as a voice called out.

"Who's there?" Will lead the way into the room the mabari had just vacated, and saw a young woman perched precariously on top of a wardrobe.

"Oh thank the Maker, you're still living." She gasped, before climbing down. "Those mabari were driven insane by the… whatever is causing all this. I was the only one who was able to reach someplace safe, everyone else was… eaten. Oh Maker!" She sank to her knees, sobbing. Will slowly approached her, trying to look non-threatening.

"Hey, calm down. Your safe now, we're here to help." The woman looked up, her eyes red. "What's your name? I'm William, a Grey Warden"

"My name's Velana, I'm one of the Arlessa's maids."

"You're Owen's daughter?" Will asked, and she nodded looking hopeful for the first time.

"You know my father? Is he all right? Has what happened here… spread?" Will nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"He's fine, and he's out of his mind with worry over you. You should get back to him."

"But, the monsters…" Velana whispered, looking around fearfully.

"Sten, make sure she gets out." Will ordered. "Probably best for you to circle around to the gate afterwards rather than wander around in here on your own." Sten nodded, before gesturing Velana to follow him. She glanced around one more time, before following the Qunari.

"Are you sure they're going to be alright?" Alistair asked.

"Sure they will. Sten knows what he's doing, and we cleared out most of the corpses in that direction."

"If you say so… Well, the courtyard should be that way, not far now…" Alistair led the way.

* * *

><p>"There everyone else is." Will said quietly several minutes later, pointing towards the gate. Indeed, the knights and Leliana were all clustered around the gate.<p>

"Let's get that gate open." Alistair said happily, walking towards the lever. Suddenly, Will felt a surge of energy, and Alistair was lifted off his feet and flew towards the other side of the courtyard. He froze in place as Will cast Force Field without thinking. A cluster of corpses came from the shadows of the stairs, followed by a massive, armored figure. Twin motes of furious red light burned where the eyes should have been, and a massive greatsword was lifted in one hand like a feather, with a scarred shield on the other arm.

"Oh sod it all." Will whispered, staring at the Revenant. These were incredibly dangerous monsters, corpses possessed by demons of pride or desire. Fast as lightning and just as deadly, they were masters of telekinesis, able to drag their foes onto their blades. Entire squads of trained, experienced templar had been killed by a single Revenant.

And it was glaring at Will, looking like it very much wanted to rip him personally apart.

"Someone get that gate open!" he screamed as the Revenant dashed towards him. Morrigan attempted to freeze it, but the ice shattered as it came into contact, having no effect on the monster. Will's fire was deflected away by the shield the beast was carrying, though the lesser corpses were blown off their feet. Morrigan was gone in a flash of light, and her massive bear form tried to intercept the raging demon. It's sword flashed, carving a deep gash into her shoulder. Will was able to close the wound quickly, but felt himself bowled over by a blast of telekinesis. Morrigan roared and threw herself at the Revenant, but it simply wasn't where it had been when she started. It's boot connected with her side, knocking her onto her side. Will tried to attract its attention with an Arcane Bolt, but was ignored.

However, even demons notice when an arrow blocks vision from one of it's eyes. Thunder had taken a running leap at the switch for the portcullis, and the knights were pouring in. Leliana drew another arrow, aiming for the other eye.

With a hiss of fury, the Revenant stabbed its sword into the ground and held it's hand out. A wave of telekinesis reached out for Leliana, dragging her towards the monster, which had instantly re-drawn its blade and was holding it out for the archer to impale herself on.

"NO!" Will shouted, smashing his staff into the creature's side. A blast of telekinesis tossed the monster aside, but Will didn't have any time to celebrate before Leliana crashed into him, knocking them both down. The Revenant skidded to a halt, glaring at Will with its good eye, before dashing towards its two downed enemies.

Morrigan, however, had gotten back to her feet and blind-sided the demon-corpse. It took a moment to smash its shield into her chin, forcing her back, before bringing it's sword towards her neck. Morrigan was able to react in time, shifting back to her human form, feeling the sword ruffle the hair on her head as it passed.

Alistair's Force Field had finally dissipated, and he rushed to aid his allies. Thunder and the knights, meanwhile, were mopping up the lesser corpses. The Revenant turned to black smoke for a moment, which flew to the top of the stairs leading to the main hall. It surveyed the battle below it, before raising it's sword and letting out a keening cry.

A wave of thick miasma flowed from the Revenant, before condensing into several balls of mist. Each of these flew to one of the corpse that littered the courtyard, sinking in.

"ARISE!" a bone-chilling voice echoed, and all the corpses jerked, before climbing to their feet, flesh falling from their forms, bones reforming. The Revenant seemed to smirk at Will's shocked look, before dashing towards him.

Will threw a fireball at the approaching enemy, which it ignored. Alistair rushed forward, placing himself between his fellow Warden and the unstoppable juggernaut. Arrows flew from Leliana's bow, and Morrigan traced a complex glyph in the air before here, before casting a hex on the terror. It shrugged off all that was thrown at it, and swung its shield back to smash Alistair out of its way.

Suddenly, the ex-Templar saw a staff appeared over his shoulder, and a shield formed in front of him. The Revenant smashed through, but the force was dulled enough that Alistair kept his feet. More importantly, he was now inside the effective range of the sword, while still being able to use his. Focusing, he stabbed the beast in the weaker armor at its knee.

Pure force shoved everyone away from the Revenant, but the damage had been done. It limped slightly as it tried to charge Will again, but it was hindered further by a barking mass of fur and muscle jumping onto its back, gnawing at it's neck. It shook the mabari off, but Will had regained his feet. Focusing, he launched three small balls of fire, which flew towards the Revenant. It tried to dash towards him, but was slowed as a Templar and a giant spider Morrigan tackled it. Before it could harm them, the three tiny, guided fireballs soared around its defenses, burning into its body. One destroyed its remaining eye, another burrowed through its neck down towards its heart, and the third entered the wound Alistair gave it before detonating, destroying that leg. A final blast of telekinesis disrupted Will's concentration, and threw Morrigan and Alistair away, but an armor-piercing arrow entered its heart, destroying the demon's control over the corpse. With a final cry of pain and rage, the Revenant fell.

Everyone looked at each other, before collapsing to their knees. Will drained a small vial of lyrium to stop the shaking in his limbs. Alistair groaned, holding his shoulder carefully. Morrigan transformed back into a human, looking exhausted. Leliana and Thunder kept their feet, having had more of a support role in the battle. They rushed to aid the knights in defeating the last of the re-risen corpse.

"Was that the leader?" Alistair asked, looking around hopefully. Will glanced at Morrigan, who shrugged back.

"I don't know, Alistair. It was strong enough to be, but I just don't know." Will said quietly.

"Are you all right, Wardens?" Sir Perth called as he rushed over. The corpses had killed one of his knights, and another was cradling his arm, but they had defeated all the corpses.

"As all right as you can expect, Sir Perth." Will said, taking the man's offered hand and getting to his feet. Sighing, he reached out and cast a few weak heals, mostly soothing pain rather than actually healing major damage.

"Now, shall we enter the castle itself?" Sir Perth asked, gesturing towards the large double doors at the top of the stairs. "We must find out what became of our Arl, as well as good Bann Teagan." Will nodded, before gesturing Alistair to lead the way.

Will heard a strange music as he and the knights approached the main hall. Gesturing everyone to halt, Alistair pushed the door open slowly. They were met with an absurd sight that would have been funny if the implications of it were not so serious.

Bann Teagan was dancing in the center of the hall, laughing. He seemed to be capable of an impressive number of acrobatic feats, including flips, cartwheels, and even a handstand. Off to one side, a group of guards were playing instruments, again with unbelievable skill. Lady Isolde was sitting in a chair on the raised dais before the fire, her face in her hands. And in the center of the dais, clapping along with the beat, was a young boy.

Probably only ten or twelve, he had messy brown hair. His face, so like his mothers, was alight with an odd joy, smiling and laughing. His eyes, however, were cold and empty. More importantly, Will could feel a demonic energy radiating off the boy. There was no doubt about it, Connor was responsible for all that had happened.

"Maker's Breath!" Sir Perth swore, pushing past Will and Alistair and entering the room. Everything stopped, as the demon/Connor looked up. The smile faded slowly into an ugly leer that had no place on a child's face. The guards stopped playing, and stood as one and moved to flank their master. Teagan, meanwhile, rolled over to the steps leading up to the dais, sitting at his nephew's feet.

"So these are our guests, Mother." Connor's voice sent a chill up Will's spine. It was as if someone had taken a child's voice, and then distorted it by adding a demon's voice, speaking in tandem.

Lady Isolde looked up, and Will saw tears pouring down her face. "Y-yes, Connor." She stuttered slightly, causing Sir Perth to cringe.

"Ah yes, I know you." The demon stepped forward, studying Will intently. "Such power, this one has. Enough to defeat my army, why he even defeated my lieutenant!" Cold laughter echoed through the room. "An elf, even. I remember your kin, elf. I had their ears cut off and fed to the dogs." Will's grip on his staff tightened, and his eyes narrowed. "Now, why would you come here, I wonder?"

"I am here to end you, demon." Will's voice cracked like a whip.

"NO! Please, Warden! Please don't!" Lady Isodle cried, standing. Everyone turned to look at her.

"There is nothing else to be done." Morrigan said, her voice almost sounding sorry. "The foolish boy took a deal with a demon. There is nothing left of him anymore."

"That's not true!" Lady Isolde stepped forward. "Connor is not always like that! His true self still comes out on occasion."

Will was watching the abomination, and was surprised to fell the energies of the demon ebb, and a frightened look appeared on the boy's face.

"Mother? Where are you? What's…" The demon's voice was gone, and there was only a terrified child.

"Oh, Connor!" Lady Isolde wept, dropping to her knees and grabbing her son in a hug. They stayed as such for a moment, before Will felt the demon reassert itself.

"GET AWAY!" it roared, shoving Lady Isolde off. "You begin to bore me, _mother_. I don't think you want to bore me." The noble woman backed fearfully away from her son.

"Well, Warden." The demon said smoothly as it turned back to Will. "You have had your audience. Now, I'm afraid _you_ have begun to bore me." He gestured for the guards and Teagan to step forwarded, and started to follow, when he flinched. Connor had reasserted himself.

"Stop!" the boy wailed. "You promised!" The face returned to a snarl

"I am reminded of why I hate children so much!" the demon spat. "So stupid, but so resilient!" It glared at Will. "Very well, Warden. You get a reprieve, for now." Turning, the demon stalked towards the door leading towards the noble chambers. The guards and Teagan followed, until the latter was trapped in a Force Field. The demon slowly turned to face Will. "Are you trying to anger me, mortal?" Will glowered at it.

"Teagan stays with me, You're still weakened. You want a fight, bring it." The demon's eyes flashed, but it spun on Connor's heel and stomped through the door.

"Purge whatever control the demon had on Teagan when he comes out." Will said to Alistair, who nodded. After a moment, the Force Field fell, and Alistair leapt forward, dispelling magic on Teagan. He hissed, before the blinking his eyes and shaking his head.

"William?" he asked. Will nodded. Lady Isolde slowly walked over, and Teagan turned towards her. "What have you done? You knew what Connor had become, but didn't tell us!" Lady Isolde looked down.

"I… I couldn't, Teagan. If you had known, you might have… might have hurt him. All I wanted was for him to be able to stay with me!"

"And so you hired an apostate to teach him?" Will asked coolly. Isolde stared at him. "I met Jowan down in the dungeon. He told me what happened."

"I… I see." Isolde said faintly. "But we must figure out what to do. Please, don't kill my son!" Alistair shook his head slowly.

"Normally I wouldn't suggest that we kill a child." he sighed. "However, we may not have a choice. Connor's an abomination, we must stop him." Isodle started shaking her head furiously.

"No! There must be another way!" She fell to her knees, clasping her hands. "Please, he's my only son! I don't know what I would do without him!" Will stared into the fire, thinking hard.

"Morrigan, did your mother tell you anything about demons?"

"She did. It is… technically possible for that we could drive the demon out from the Fade. Getting there, however…" Will nodded, he had thought the same thing. He turned, seeing the confused looks on everyone else's faces.

"Most of the time, when a demon takes control of a mage, the mage's essence, soul if you will, is destroyed, and even killing the demon controlling their body won't do any good. However, it seems that Connor was not taken by force, rather making a deal with the demon. Because of this, he was enslaved rather than destroyed, and if we could confront the demon in the Fade, we could kill it and free Connor."

"However." Morrigan picked up. "Entering the specific part of the Fade that the demon would be takes a lot of power. Mother only told me the theory of it, we never had enough lyrium to actually practice."

"There is another way." Will turned as he heard Jowan's voice. Isolde looked livid, jumping to her feet.

"YOU!" she screamed. "You did this to my Connor!" She stalked towards Jowan, but was stopped by Teagan.

"How did you get out, Jowan?" Will hissed coolly. Jowan smiled slightly.

"I'm a mage, remember. I let myself out." He glanced at the fuming Isodle. "I never had the strength before, what with being tortured and all." Teagan waved all this away.

"What do you mean, there is another way?" he asked warily. Jowan looked sad.

"What Will… William and his friend said is true. It takes a lot of energy to chose where to enter the Fade." He sighed. "However, lyrium isn't the only source of energy. I could use blood, instead." Everyone stared at him.

"You think we're going to hand you that kind of power?" Will hissed. "Who knows what you'd use it for!" Jowan shook his head.

"Why can't you believe that I want to make things better? That I regret what I did and want to fix my mistakes?"

"Even if that's true, it's not an option!" Alistair hissed, glaring at Jowan. "How can more evil make this any better?" Morrigan snorted slightly, but Leliana looked as thought she thought Alistair had a point.

"There's something else you aren't telling us, Jowan." Will said quietly. Jowan looked down, sighing.

"Indeed. The ritual is… costly. To use it, I must… kill someone." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's not really an option. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Isodle, however, seemed to have other ideas. "If it is a choice between watching my son die, and giving myself to a blood mage to save him, I know my choice." She lifted her chin. "Let me be the sacrifice."

"What!" Teagan gasped, staring in shock at Isolde. "You can't do that! What would Eamon say?" Isolde glared at her brother-in-law.

"What does it matter, what he would say. He's dying, and my son will follow if I do nothing. I would rather die than see that!"

Will glanced around, not paying attention to the continued argument. He simply couldn't trust Jowan with the power that a life worth of blood would give him, but could he kill a child? He had heard the fear in the boy's voice, knew that Lady Isolde wouldn't allow it, he would probably have to physically force her aside to do the deed. But… "Hold up," he said suddenly, holding up his hand. Everyone stopped talking and turned to watch him. "There is a third option." He turned, smiling. "The Circle of Magi is not far from here. We can go there to get the lyrium we need, as well as deal with that treaty at the same time."

Alistair looked exited for a moment, before his face fell. "We can't. That demon won't stay dormant forever, and it'll take almost a week to walk to the Tower." Will smirked.

"Who said we'd be walking?" He turned to Teagan. "Didn't some of the boats in Redcliffe survive?" The Bann nodded slowly.

"Only one or two, otherwise we would have used them to evacuate. But, I heard that you cannot sail directly to the Tower." Will shook his head.

"We don't have to. We can sail to the Calenhad Dock, where we can get the official boat to the Tower." Everyone stared at Will before starting to nod.

"Brilliant." Alistair said slowly. "By boat, it should take less than a day to get to the mages, ten, maybe fifteen minutes to convince them to help, then come back. Connor should last that long."

"Indeed." Will said. "However, in case he doesn't, Morrigan, you and Sten are going to stay here, make sure the demon stays in line." Will turned to Jowan. "You're going to stay, too. And know this, Sten's orders are going to be to watch you like a hawk, and if he thinks your going to cause problems, he's going to kill you." Jowan sighed, and nodded.

About three quarters of an hour later, Will, Alistair, Leliana, and Thunder were sailing north, towards the Calenhad Docks. Meanwhile, Jowan and Morrigan were sitting quietly in the main hall, discussing potential battle plans should the demon strike. Sten and the knights stood nearby, watching. Finally, Teagan and Isolde paced, worrying about Connor.

* * *

><p><em> Denerim<em>

Teyrn Loghain stood silently in his quarters, gazing sullenly into a goblet of wine he had been drinking. Looking at the tired, haggard face staring back from the reflection.

He had expected the nobility to quickly fall into line. How could they not see that he knew what he was doing? Instead, there were rumors that a rebellion was being planned against him. In fact, Loghain was expecting the new Teyrn of Highever to come and brief him on the situation.

Not for the first time, Loghain wished Maric were here. Maric had always had a gift, able to not only make people follow him, but make them _want_ to. He had also been wise enough to listen to the advice given to him. Unlike his son.

Loghain sighed, taking a sip of his wine. He had wondered many times where he and Maric had gone wrong with Cailin. The boy had had so much potential, could have become everything his father had been and then some. Instead, the foolish child had gone off chasing glory, not satisfied with holding together what his father had given him. Loghain had tried many times to convince the young king that there was no dishonor in keeping a kingdom strong and free, that he would still be remembered. But the boy had been adamant, the he had to do something great or he would disappear into the mist of history. That attitude had made it easy for the Grey Warden's to lead him into that trap.

Loghain had never trusted the Wardens, never been convinced that Maric's near brush with death at the Tower had not been their purpose. Maric had insisted that other forces had been at work, but his one true flaw had always been his trusting nature. Loghain had been reluctant to follow Cailin to Ostagar, but was convinced that he could save the king from his own foolishness. However, it had quickly become apparent that Cailin was too far gone to be saved. With a heavy heart, he had started to make his preparations. He had heard from one of his agents in Arl Eamon's employ that Lady Isolde was seeking someone to tutor her mage son, and had found an apostate to deal with one of the voices most likely to cause problems. He had also secured the allegiance of the Mages. However, he had not heard from either of his agents in place. Loghain hoped that nothing had gone wrong.

However, the final straw had come on that final, fateful night. Somehow, Loghain had kept up the hope that Cailin would see reason, that he could be convinced to abandon this foolishness. But it was not to be. Finally, Loghain had been forced to fulfill his promise to Maric, that he would never again put one man ahead of the kingdom.

He would not let all he had done, all the suffering, be in vain.

"Your Lordship?" an oily voice spoke up behind Loghain. He turned slowly, seeing Rendon Howe standing at the door. A sallow faced man, Howe had proven his loyalty to Loghain even before Ostagar, bringing evidence of Bryce Cousland's treachery. Howe had also… dealt with the problem. The man was incredibly useful.

That didn't mean that Loghain had to like the man. For some reason, the man's voice always set Loghain on edge, marking Howe as someone not to be trusted too much. Unfortunately, Loghain had few options.

"Yes?" he asked, gesturing Howe to enter.

"I have the report from the Bannorn. Several factions have banded together, and are demanding that you step down from the Regency. They are gathering their forces, as are those who support you. Unfortunately, it seems that a civil war is on the horizon."

Loghain cursed quietly, taking another drink. Those fools in the Bannorn were going to ruin everything. Bann Teagan must be behind all this, Loghain had been foolish not to remove him as well. "I'll figure something out. Is there anything else?" Howe shifted slightly.

"There is, your Lordship. One of the men you left in Lothering returned. He claims to have a message for you, so I brought him along." Loghain glanced around, and saw a soldier standing at the door, shuffling his feet nervously.

"What is it?" Loghain asked curtly. The captain looked up, and slowly came closer.

"My men followed your orders, looking for the two Wardens who were not in the battle. We… We found them, along with a few others. We attempted to apprehend them, but some of the locals showed their support for the Wardens. I was the only survivor, and they were going to kill me too, before a sister intervened. They… told me to give you a message: 'The Wardens know what really happened at Ostagar. We know this, and we will make you pay'."

Howe snorted with laughter, but Loghain raised his eyebrow. "You kept saying 'they'. How many survived?"

"I think only the two you mentioned, my lord." the captain spoke quickly. "The elf actually seemed to be in charge, which kind of surprised me."

This surprised Loghain as well. He had expected Maric's bastard to be the leader. It seemed that Maric had been unable to pass on any of his noble qualities to his offspring.

"Anything else?" he asked. The captain shook his head quickly. "Then you are dismissed." The man saluted, and quickly left.

"I recommend that he be… replaced. He has obviously proven himself to be incompetent." Howe said firmly. Loghain ignored him, turning back to the fire. He was trying to think of a way to deal with this new threat. "My lord, I… predicted the possibility that some of the traitors would survive, and prepared a countermeasure." Loghain glanced back as he heard the door opened again. An elf walked in. He was tanned, had tattoos all over his face, but was no Dailish. He wore leather armor, and Loghain saw the hilts of two daggers over his shoulders.

"The Antivan Crows send their regards." The elf spoke with a strong Antivan accent, smirking slightly.

"An assassin." Loghain said coldly, and Howe nodded. Loghain sighed. The solution made sense, the Antivan Crows were some of the most infamous assassins in Thedas, and would be more than capable of eliminating two junior Wardens. "Just see it done!" He hated doing things like that, it seemed so… Orlesian.

"By your will, my lord." Howe said quietly, before turning to leave, taking the assassin with him. Loghain looked back at the almost empty goblet of wine, drained it, before reaching back and grabbing the bottle.

"Maric… watch over me, old friend." he whispered as he poured another goblet-full, staring into the fire.

(Codex: Revenant)

"An entire unit of man, all slain by one creature. I didn't believe it at first, your Perfection, but it appears that this is so. We have a survivor, and while at first I thought his rantings pure exaggeration... it appears to be no simple skeleton. The descriptions of the creature's abilities were eerily similar to those our brothers at Marnas Pell encountered almost a century ago: men pulled through the air to skewer themselves on the creature's blade, and attacks so quick that it was able to assault multiple opponents at once. No, your Perfection, what we have here is indeed a revenant and nothing less."

-From a letter to Divine Amara III, 5:71 Exalted.

A revenant is a corpse possessed by a demon of pride or of desire... making it amongst the most powerful possessed opponents that one can face. Many possess spells, but most are armed and armored and prefer the use of their martial talents. They are weak against physical attacks but regenerate quickly, and commonly use telekinesis to pull opponents into melee range should they try to flee. Revenants also have the ability to strike multiple opponents surrounding them. Stay at range if possible and strike quickly—that is the only way to take such a creature down.


	11. Shattered Expectations

Review Response:

Agent 94: Revenants do indeed rule. Whenever I faced them, I had a similar reaction to what I did when facing dragons, even though it's really not as bad. That was one of my greatest complaints about Dragon Age 2, that it substituted challenging enemies for numerous enemies. Glad you like.

Chapter 10: Shattered Expectations

"So, how is it you know how to work these things anyways, Leliana?" Alistair asked. Not long after leaving Redcliffe, Will and Alistair had realized that they had no clue how to properly sail the small boat, and had been worried that they would have to row all the way to Kinloch. However, Leliana had come to the rescue, having somewhere learned how to work a small sailboat.

"I grew up in the house of an Orlesian noble woman, Lady Cecile." She smiled, obviously fond of this lady. "My mother was Fereldan, but returned with Lady Cecile to Orlais after the occupation ended. My mother had always loved the water, and would often take me to the lake near Lady Cecile's estate on her days off. That's were I learned." There was a moment of silence, before Will spoke up.

"So, did she also teach you about bows and such?" He was still curious how she had gotten so good. Leliana shook her head.

"No, but it is not unrelated. After my mother died, Lady Cecile allowed me to stay. My main job in her house was as an entertainer at her parties. I was taught how to sing and dance. Eventually, of course, she passed on, and I decided to make my own way with the skills I had, so I became a bard. Wandering entertainers are used to traveling alone or with small parties, so I decided to learn how to defend myself, just in case."

Something about Leliana's statement peeked Will's interest, but before he could try to figure out what it was, the sight of Kinloch Hold distracted him. He pointed it out to the others.

"There it is, the Circle Tower." He couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of it. Despite the things that had happened within, it was still the place where he had spent fourteen years, and learned so much about who he was.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk about, William." Alistair said slowly. "You know how you said that Duncan saved you from the Knight Commander? I was wondering if it might not be a good idea for you to wait outside. I know if I tried to go back to the monastery and ask for help, the Revered Mother would be likely to slam the door in my face." Will smirked.

"And miss the horrified and furious look on Greagoir's face, as well as the realization that there's nothing he can do? Not a chance, Alistair." Both Alistair and Leliana glanced at him, raising their eyebrows at the evil look on his face. "Besides, First Enchanter Irving wouldn't let him shut me out, not without a reason."

"If you say so." Alistair said, shrugging.

After a few more minutes of sailing, the group reached the docks. It really wasn't all that impressive, simply a cluster of piers and an inn. Several Templar patrolled the area, and a pair approached Will as he clambered out of the boat.

"You might want to turn around and leave, I'm afraid." The first removed his helmet. "The Tower's having issues. Wait… I recognize you." Will smiled coolly.

"Nice to see you too, Dirk." Leliana and Alistair glanced at each other; Will's friendly voice didn't match the tension in his shoulders, and the way his hand strayed slightly towards the pocket they knew contained his Rod of Fire. "I'm afraid I don't have time for underlings, I need to get to Kinloch and see the First Enchanter. Grey Warden business." Dirk the Templar sighed.

"Look, Surana. I would love to help, but I'm afraid that the Tower's in lockdown. No one other than Templar get in or out."

"What, did someone steal the Knight Commander's smallclothes?" Will asked, smirking.

"No." Dirk said, gesturing his companion to leave. "And no, I can't tell you what's happening. This is none of your concern." With that, he turned and left.

"Now what?" Leliana asked. Will stood, silent for a moment.

"We get some answers, that's what." He turned and walked towards the in, followed by his two rather surprised allies.

* * *

><p>There was a soft drone of conversation as Will pushed the door of the Spoiled Princess open. He looked around for a moment, before heading towards one of the tables at the back.<p>

"Hey, Kester." Will said, sitting down. The grey-haired man already there glanced up.

"Oh hey, it's you! I remember taking you across, with that Duncan fellow." He pushed aside his drink, studying Will avidly. "So, I guess you're a Grey Warden now. My pa used to tell me stories about them." Will nodded.

"What happened up at the Tower? The Templar are claiming that the Tower's in lockdown." Kester shook his head.

"I don't know, friend. Greagoir just came up to me one day and told me that the Templar were in charge of my boat! No explanation, just said I'd get it back when the matter was resolved."

Will glanced at Alistair and Leliana's confused expressions. "Kester here is the official ferryman. His boat is the only one allowed to Kinloch other than the Templar ones." He paused, considering. "If the Templar confiscated his boat, then they really are cracking down. How long ago did they take your boat, Kester?"

"About four days ago." Kester pulled his drink back and took a swig. "Hope that idiot Carroll doesn't do an damage. Named after my grandma, that boat." Will tensed.

"You say Carroll's the one running the ferry?" he asked, Kester looked slightly nervous.

"Yes, he is. What about it?" Will said nothing, but slid a pair of silver coins to the former ferryman before stalking out of the inn. Kester looked questioningly at Leliana and Alistair, who shrugged and hurried after him.

They found Will walking quickly towards one of the larger boathouses at the edge of the area. Several Templar glanced at him, but seemed to decide that it wasn't worth the effort to stop him. Will slid inside.

"Hello, Carroll." The Templar in question glanced up from the table he had been sitting at, before getting swiftly to his feet.

"You're not looking to get across to the tower, are you?" he asked, pointing his finger dramatically at Will. "Because I have strict orders to not let anyone pass!" Will walked up to him, smiling coldly. Alistair, Leliana and Thunder stayed back, watching.

"Grey Warden business, Carroll." Will hissed, glaring at the Templar. "Take us to the tower now." Carroll smirked.

"Oh, you're a Grey Warden? Prove it!" he said, folding his arms. Will's eyes narrowed further.

"You mean that Greagoir hasn't been cursing up a storm over my escape. I'm hurt."

"How do I know your actually William Surana?" Carroll shot back. "You could just be someone else pretending to be him, trying to get into the tower. And even if you are he, and a Grey Warden, I have orders not to let _anyone_ pass. So turn around, that way, go!" Will hissed in frustration.

"I was hoping you'd be reasonable, but I guess that was too much to ask for. Fine, on your head be it." With that, Will pulled his staff out and pointed it at Carroll's face.

"WHAT?" Alistair cried. "What are you doing?" Will ignored him.

"You know what a Grey Warden's mission is, Carroll?" he asked. The Templar shook his head franticly. "End the Blight, at any cost. That involves eliminating those who get in the way of that task. Carroll, you are _in my way_."

"You wouldn't dare!" Carroll whispered, fear in his eyes.

"Wouldn't I? You're going to die anyways if I don't get allies to end the Blight, of which the Circle of Magi is one. Besides, I wouldn't even have to say I killed you. Do you really think anyone would find it too surprising to learn you were stupid enough to fall off the pier on your own and drown?" Fire started slowly curling its way up the staff. "Make your choice Carroll. I really don't care either way."

"Ok! Ok! I'll take you across!" Carroll wailed, raising his hands. Will lowered the staff slightly.

"So you're not as dumb as you look. I'm surprised." Carroll went towards the boat, starting to reach for his sword, shield, and helmet, which were leaning against the table. All three shifted away from him telekinetically. "You don't need those to row, Carroll."

The trip across to the Circle Tower passed in a tense silence. Carroll kept glancing fearfully at Will, who sat at the prow of the boat and watched the dark tower come closer. What waited inside? Why had the Templar locked down the tower? Was everyone all right? Those questions and more flitted through Will's mind.

* * *

><p>"What was that all about?" Leliana asked warily as the four walked up the path towards the door.<p>

"Yes, that was highly inappropriate." Alistair started, but Will interrupted.

"Carroll's a coward, and a stupid one at that. The best way to deal with him is to make a threat, and then explain why you're able to back it up. He crumbles even if it isn't strictly true." The others stared at him.

"So you were bluffing? Your really good at it." Will smiled frostily.

"You want to know the secret of good bluffing? _Don't bluff_." The conversation came to an end on this happy note as they reached the door. Will knocked, and a slot slid open to reveal part of a Templar's helmet.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked in surprise. "Carroll wasn't supposed to let anyone across."

"He decided to make an exception for Grey Wardens. I need to talk to the Knight Commander and the First Enchanter." The templar within paused for a moment, before opening the door.

"Guess it can't hurt. The Knight Commander's just over there." Will nodded coolly before walking over to Greagoir, who was barking orders to two of his subordinates.

"I don't care if you think you hear your mother on the other side of that door. It stays shut unless I say so." The templar nodded, before walking back to the main doors into the rest of the Tower. Greagoir watched them for a moment, before putting his face slowly in his hands.

"Hello, Greagoir!" Will said in a falsely cheery voice. "How's the family?" The Knight Commander spun around with a curse.

"You." He glared at Will, who smirked back. "You have a lot of nerve, coming back here." He turned away, before muttering, "As if I didn't already have enough problems."

"What happened, Greagoir?" Will asked, dropping the friendly act. "Where is First Enchanter Irving?" The older man turned back, studying Will.

"That is none of your concern, Surana." Will shook his head.

"Do you see this treaty, here?" He held up the treaty for Greagoir to see. "It says that this is my concern. Tell me what happened." Greagoir took the parchment, studding it.

"I cannot help you, and neither can the mages." he said finally, handing the treaty back to Will. "The Circle has fallen."

"What?" Will whispered. Greagoir shook his head.

"There was a rebellion. Somehow, blood mages infiltrated the tower, and they launched an attack. The templar had some success, until the abominations started rising. We were driven back here." Greagoir turned towards the door. "You wanted to see Irving. I know some mages tried to fight back, but I can't see how they would have survived."

"What are you planning?" Will asked slowly, fearing the answer. Greagoir shook his head sadly.

"There's only one thing to do. I have already sent a messenger to Denerim for reinforcements, as well as the Right of Annulment. The Tower shall be purged."

"No, you can't do that." Will whispered in horror. "There must be mages still alive in there, besides the blood mages." Greagoir turned, studying Will.

"I wish that were so, Surana, and I know this hurts to hear, but it's too late. We can't afford to be sentimental, only practical. This cannot be allowed to spread." Will glared furiously at the Knight Commander, before cursing.

"Let me go in there. I'll figure out what's going on, and if there are survivors." Everyone turned to stare at Will.

"William, please." Alistair said gently. "The Knight Commander makes sense. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

"Is that Alistair talking, or the Templar?" Will quoted ruthlessly. "I won't believe it's too late until I see Irving's corpse. If you lot are too scared, I'll go myself!"

Thunder barked, before walking quickly to Will's side. Leliana followed. "William's right, Alistair. We can make a difference. Didn't we just get through fighting all those corpses and the Revenant in Redcliffe?"

"You foolish child!" Greagoir hissed. "I'm sure this is exactly how the business with Jowan started! You rush into things without thinking about the consequences. All you'll manage by entering is giving the enemy another warrior."

"Do not underestimate me, Knight Commander." Will said coldly. "I'm going in there, whether you want me to or not. You can't afford to fight me, not if what you say is true." Greagoir cursed.

"If you walk through that door, Surana, you're not walking out. You know that, right?" Will nodded firmly. "Well, don't let me stop your self-destruction. Go ahead." Will nodded curtly, before spinning and walking towards the door. "And, Surana." Greagoir called. "If, by some act of the Maker, you find Irving alive, I'll call off the Annulment." Will paused for a moment, before nodding and continuing. Leliana and Thunder followed. Alistair walked past and grabbed Will's arm.

"William, please reconsider. We can't afford to die here, Fereldan will fall without us." Will glared at him.

"Follow, Alistair, or stand aside. It's your choice. Make it." Alistair groaned.

"I'm sorry, William. I can't support this." Will jerked his arm out of Alistair's grip.

"Then there's nothing more to say." With that, he stalked past the Templar guarding the door, listened for a moment, before pushing them open and entering, followed by Leliana and Thunder. Greagoir shook his head as the doors slammed shut.

"Foolish children."

* * *

><p>Leliana watched William push open the first door along the curved hall they were in. He had his staff out, and slowly scanned the room before entering. Leliana gasped slightly as she followed. The room was a large one, but was filled to capacity with beds, each with another above it.<p>

"The apprentice barracks." William said coolly, moving from one trunk to another, searching for anything that might be of use. "There's another one next door."

"How many would be expected to be here?" Leliana whispered, looking around. Lady Cecile had given her horses more space than it seemed the apprentices got.

"About as many as the beds suggest, though sometimes people would have to sleep on the floor, if some of the beds got damaged." William responded, stuffing a few lyrium potions he found into his pouch. "At least the close quarters keep the chill out. Mostly."

"That's just…" Leliana started, but wasn't able to find a word in Ferelden strong enough to represent her horror.

"It is what it is." William interrupted, glancing past a small wall into what looked like a dressing area. "There's nothing more to say." With that, he left through a second door, before repeating the process in the second barracks. Leliana glanced in one of the trunks, and was shocked to see several female articles in a trunk right next to one full of male clothes.

"They didn't even separate the genders?" William shook his head, studying the odd cap he found in one of the trunks.

"Which room you were in was based on age. The older you got, the further you moved this way." He gestured towards the other side of the room. "I guess it's symbolic, how you're moving closer to the rest of the Tower, and being a mage. Besides, do people separate their male animals from the female?"

"But those are animals. Mages are still people!" Leliana cried. William chuckled darkly.

"We are talking about the same Chantry, right. Here, mages _are_ considered animals."

They had left the barracks, and were heading towards another door at the end of the corridor. William raised his hand suddenly, before pressing his ear to the door.

"Something's happening in there!" he hissed, backing a step away and kicking the door open, pointing his staff as he did.

* * *

><p>On the other side of a large room, Will saw a Rage demon was pushing its way through a misty barrier. Most of the mages were falling back, pushing children behind them. One, however, stood firm. She waved her staff, causing the barrier to condense. The demon roared in pain as it was sliced in half by the mist, which Will realized had turned to ice.<p>

Suddenly, one of the little girls saw William standing in the doorway, and started screaming. Everyone turned towards Will, who quickly raised his staff towards the ceiling.

"Easy, easy! We're not here to hurt you!" he called. The mage who had killed the demon kept her staff up for a moment, before lowering it.

"William, is that you?" she whispered, striding forward. Will nodded.

"It's good you see you again, Senior Enchanter Wynne." She studied him intently, before smiling.

"Likewise, William." she said warmly. The other mages quickly came forward, and Will started recognizing them. Petra, one of Wynne's healing students, was gently shushing the frightened children, convincing them that Will was not an abomination come to eat them. Erk sighed in relief, lowering his own staff, along with a few others.

"So there are survivors. Greagoir told me it was hopeless." Will said. Wynne nodded.

"Yes, even trapped here, some of us have survived." She gestured around the room. "We came here, trying to get out, but the Templar had already barred the door." She studied Will with her piercing eyes. "How did you get in, William?"

"Greagoir was willing to let me in, to see if I could find survivors. I think he's hoping I'll fail so the Annulment will take me out too." Wynne sighed.

"So they have sent for it, then. I feared they had, but didn't know." She shook her head. "Is there any hope?"

"He said that if we could get First Enchanter Irving out alive, that he would stand down. Whether or not he was telling the truth is another matter." Wynne nodded.

"I'm sure he was. When he gives his word about something, he keeps it." Will snorted slightly, but refrained from commenting. Wynne glanced over Will's shoulder. "And who is your friend, here? Another Grey Warden?"

"No, ma'am." Leliana said politely. "I'm just someone who wanted to help the Wardens defeat the Blight." Wynne nodded, before turning her attention back to Will.

"Now, if what you say is true, then we should hurry and find Irving. If anyone could have survived this mess, it would be the First Enchanter." She gestured towards the door. "I would have pushed forward sooner, but I could not go alone, nor could I leave the children undefended. However, you're are a battle-mage, and a Grey Warden. With your help, we can push the enemies back. They seem to have become more scattered, which makes me hopeful that there are more mages alive in different parts of the tower."

"Then let's hurry. It's been at least four days, according to Kester." Wynne looked surprised.

"Four days? I could have sworn it was only three." She shook her head. "Be that as it may, your right, we should go."

"William!" Petra called "May I speak with you for a moment?" Will glanced at her, before shrugging slightly and walking over.

"What is it, Petra?" She glanced at Wynne, who had gone to the barrier and was in the process of bringing it down.

"Please, look after Wynne. She's been fighting on and off since this started, she must be tired. And… how do I put this…" Will waited as Petra gathered here thoughts. "When this all started, I was in the library. Suddenly, a demon appeared out of nowhere. It was about to kill me, but Wynne arrived. There was a great flash of light, and when I could see again, the demon was gone, but Wynne, well, she wasn't moving. I thought she was dead for a moment, but finally she got up." Petra lowered her voice. "She says she's fine, but I'm not so sure. Please look after her."

"Ok. You make sure to keep the kids safe." Petra nodded, and Will walked over to Wynne.

"What did Petra want?" Wynne asked. Will glanced at her, and noticed that she was smirking.

"Not what your probably thinking." he grumbled. "She just wanted to tell me to look after you." Wynne chuckled.

"Oh, Petra. She's so protective and selfless. She'll make a great healer is she survives this." Will nodded. "Now, are you ready?" Will glanced through the barrier.

"Let's do this." Wynne smiled, and passed her staff through the barrier, which vanished. With that, Will, Wynne, Leliana, and Thunder pushed forward.

They met their first "resistance" in the library. Three abominations, which had been picking at the corpse of a Templar, rushed them. Wynne calmly used earth magic to raise a barrier, causing them to trip. Will finished the downed opponents with a fireball. A fourth came from around the bend, but was hit between the eyes by Leliana's arrow.

Will walked slowly over to the nearest of the abomination corpses. It was difficult to determine what damage had been done by his fireball and what had been done by the demonic possession.

"That was… easier than I expected." Leliana said slowly. Wynne nodded.

"True, but do not become overconfident. Their numbers will increase, and it is likely that we will find demons that have passed fully into this world. We must remain vigilant." She lowered the wall she had made, and Thunder moved forward.

"Indeed." He peaked around the bookshelves, but didn't see any enemies. The whole library was a mess, books, blood puddles, and other nasty things strewn across the floor. Will couldn't help but remember the way the library had been; a haven of knowledge and solitude. How many days and nights had he spent in here, looking up various obscure bits of knowledge?

"I know." Wynne said quietly, seeming to read his mind. "Who knows how much was lost, thanks to the madness."

"What happened? Greagoir said that blood mages infiltrated the tower, but there's more to it, isn't there?" Wynne nodded.

"It was Uldred. He got back from Ostagar before me, and was trying to get the Circle to support Loghain." Her eyes narrowed. "I returned, and told everyone what really happened. An argument broke out, and Uldred called for help. The blood mages rushed in, and everything became a chaotic mess. After the initial fight, I tried to rally those mages I could, until the demons and abominations started appearing. After that, I and the few allies I had were to focused on survival to find anyone else. The rest, as they say, is history."

Will nodded absentmindedly, listening at the door out of the library. "I think there are some abominations in there. What about you, Thunder." The mabari barked quietly. "Ok, I'll open the door and throw a fireball in. Leliana, pick off anything that survives. Wynne, if you could make another wall, that would be helpful. Thunder, be ready to assist." Everyone nodded. Will kicked the door, already having prepared a fireball. It did kill two of the abominations as well as knock several others down. However, id did absolutely nothing to the two rage demons that inhabited the room. Both of them rushed forward, one throwing a fireball as it came. This was intercepted by Will's Arcane Shield, and the offending demon was frozen solid. Wynne, meanwhile, created a Glyph of Paralysis in front of the other one, stopping it in its tracks. She then threw a Stone Fist, shattering the one Will froze. Will reciprocated by blasting the paralyzed with several Arcane Bolts, destroying it.

Leliana had been picking off the abominations. The remaining six, however, were climbing over the barrier Wynne had erected. Thunder grabbed one, yanking it down and starting to rip chunks out. Will burned one to a crisp, before defending himself from a second. Leliana was forced to drop her bow and draw her blades, slaying one enemy quickly before engaging two more. Wynne blasted the last one, before steadily eliminating the others.

"How is it the Templar had trouble with this?" Will asked.

"I don't know, William." Wynne said, bringing the barrier down. "The only reason I can think of is that there are fewer enemies now than during the initial conflict, which is a good sign for survivors." Will nodded slowly, considering.

"Well, anyways, lets move on" Nodding, the group headed up the stairs to the second floor of Kinloch.

* * *

><p>"I wonder what happened to Owain." Wynne said quietly as they studied the storeroom. As if summoned up by his name, the Tranquil stepped out of an alcove and studied them.<p>

"Please refrain from going into the stockroom," he said in his empty voice. "It's a mess and I haven't had time to clean it up." Will just stared at Owain.

"Aren't you worried about all the abominations and such?" Owain nodded.

"Indeed. If I were to encounter one, I would be surely killed. I attempted to leave, but came across a barrier. I could not go through it, so I returned here."

"Owain, you should have said something!" Wynne called in exasperation. "I would have opened the way for you." Owain studied her for a moment, before shaking his head.

"It does not matter. Hopefully, things will return to the way they were. Maybe Niall will be able to save us all." Will cocked his head.

"Niall? What's he up to?" Owain turned to Will.

"Not long after this unpleasantness began, Niall came to the storeroom, seeking the Litany of Adralla. He said he needed it to save the Circle. It was within his right to take it, as he is an Enchanter. What became of him, I do not know."

"Excuse me, but what is this Litany of Adralla?" Leliana asked. Owain studied her for a long moment.

"You are not a denizen of the Tower, nor are you a Templar. Why are you entitled to that information?" he asked. Will hissed in frustration.

"The Litany's an interesting bit of magic." Wynne said smoothly. "Created by the mage Adralla, it is the only known spell that can disrupt blood and demonic magic that doesn't rely on more blood magic. It is incredibly complex, so much so that the full effect requires words from several languages, including Old Tevintar and even some scraps of Elvish." She shook her head. "If Niall felt he needed that, then things are worse than I thought, and some of the blood mages are still alive." Will nodded slowly.

"Then we must hurry." He nodded to Owain. "The barrier you encountered is down now. You can go and stay with some other mages." Owain nodded simply, before turning and wandering down the stairs. Sighing, Will lead the way towards one of the two doors leading out of the storeroom area.

Suddenly, Thunder started growling. Everyone stopped, before Will pushed the door open about a centimeter, listening carefully.

"… do we even do with him?" a voice was hissing on the other side. Will also heard someone whimpering.

"Enthrall him, send him in, and get someone else to come out." Another voice answered. "Eventually, we'll take them all, then go and find Uldred. He'll know what to do with them."

"I don't know…" a woman said, sounding worried. Will flinched as he heard the crack of a hand meeting flesh.

"You aren't getting second thoughts, are you Mia?" the second voice hissed. "We all took an oath, that we wouldn't rest until this whole damned system crumbled!"

"I'm sorry. This whole battle has been… trying." Mia said quickly. "I'll follow your lead."

"No… please!" another man cried weakly. Will gathered himself, before slowly peaking into the room. There were three standing mages, two men and a woman, all with red armbands, as well as daggers at their side. Sprawled on the floor between them was a third man, currently pinned down by one of the standing men's staff.

Unfortunately, the woman, who was opposite to Will, chose that moment to look up, and noticed his face.

"Who…" she gasped, raising her staff. The other two blood mages whirled around, glaring at Will. He narrowed his eyes, before stepping fully into the room, followed by Wynne and Leliana.

"Look! More sacrifices for Uldred!" the first voice called tauntingly, raising his staff, which Will noticed was covered in drying blood.

"In your dreams." Will hissed, before tossing an Arcane Bolt. The mage blocked it easily, before casting a hex on Will, which he counteracted. Wynne, meanwhile, cast a paralysis glyph upon the other foe, though the female blood mage quickly counteracted it. She then fell with a cry as Leliana hit her with two arrows, one in the arm, and the other in the leg.

Will and the other blood mage were continuously blocking each other's spells, before the enemy seemed to become impatient. He drew his dagger and made a quick motion, slashing his palm. Blood flowed around him, and his eyes started blazing red. He blocked Will's next Arcane Bolt before throwing a glob of blood at Will. He shoved it aside with telekinesis, before reaching out with his staff, standing completely still. The blood mage laughed, before letting out a curse as a couple of heavy books flew from a table behind him and smashed into the back of his head. Will coolly finished him off with a blast of fire.

Wynne steadily pushed the remaining blood mage back, twisting spells around his shields. Eventually, he made a fatal mistake in going for his dagger. Wynne took the opportunity to brain him with a Stone Fist. Thunder, meanwhile, had rushed forward and knocked Mia's staff away, before placing his paws on her chest and growling at her.

"Stop, please I yield!" she cried. Will coldly walked over to her, while Wynne hurried to the downed mage.

"Why should I spare you?" Will asked furiously. "Look around you! Look what's happened here!" Mia looked up, tears in her eyes.

"I know, and I wish it didn't have to be like this, but we had no choice! You know what it's like here. The Templar; always watching. All those who die because of their cruelty. Something has to change!" Will sighed, before crouching down next to her.

"True, but this isn't the way to do it. They are just going to crack down harder after this."

"Then what do _you_ suggest we do?" Mia moaned. "They're never going to respect us, we're just monsters to them. The only way we're going to break our chains is to get rid of them! That's what Uldred told us."

"And what about all the mages you've killed? All of the mages who are going to die because of this. You know how it goes, an Annulment happens, other Circles start complaining, the Templar crack down harder, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum. What about that?"

"I know, but what if we succeed? What if mages didn't have to be slaves? Wouldn't that be better?" Will snorted.

"That's not going to happen any time soon. Certainly not today." Mia sighed. "Which brings me back to my original question, why should I let you live?"

"I… I have no answer for you. I can only beg, please let me live." She stared at him, her eyes red from crying.

"And what about the Templar? How will you evade them?" Mia sighed. "That's what I thought. You can't hide out with the other mages." Will glanced at Wynne and the injured mage. "You know what the Templar will do if they get their hands on you, don't you?"

"They'll probably torture me, try to get me to tell them about any other blood mages." Mia whispered. She started crying again. "I guess it's just human nature, to try to live as long as one can. Please… just make it quick."

"I will." Will said quietly. Sniffling, Mia squeezed her eyes shut. Will silently drew the Rod of Fire "Forgive me, Mia." A brief flash of fire later, Mia was dead.

"Is it really that bad, here?" Leliana asked. Will said nothing, walking over to Wynne and the mage she was treating, whom he recognized as Pent. He was sitting up, rubbing a blood stained rent in his robes. Wynne glanced up.

"He's going to be alright, William." Will nodded, before crouching down.

"What happened, Pent?" The younger mage glanced up.

"William Surana?" He shook his head. "Man I am glad to see you. " He sighed. "I'm with a group of survivors, hiding out in the old store-rooms. Earlier, a pack of abominations were banging on the door, trying to get in, and then suddenly they went quiet. Senior Enchanter Leorah sent me to see what happened." He grimaced. "I was jumped by those three, and they dragged me here to kill me or enthrall me."

"Survivors? How many?" Wynne asked. Pent shrugged.

"Thirty, maybe forty. Mostly kids, though." Wynne and Will grinned; glad to hear that more of the children were all right. "Come on, we should go see her."

Not long afterwards, Pent lead the way into the alchemy lab. Will noticed the bodies of a pair of abominations lying near the door to the storeroom. Pent stepped over them to knock on the door.

"Flames of justice." a voice called from within.

"Fires of vengeance." Pent replied. The door opened, and Senior Enchanter Leorah stepped out.

"Oh, Pent. We were getting worried that something had happened to you." She looked over his shoulder and met Wynne's eyes. "Senior Enchanter Wynne!"

"It's good to see you too, Leorah." Wynne said. "Though we should probably continue this conversation inside." Leorah nodded.

"Yes, yes, come in." She gestured them to follow, and lead the way down the stairs into the storeroom. Pent stayed at the door, probably to keep watch. After a short while, Leorah stepped out into the main storage cavern. Dozens of mages, from child to Enchanter, stood around. The five older one, who had passed their Harrowings, had their staves pointed at the entrance, and a single Templar stood protectively in front of them.

"Pent just got back, and he brought friends with him." Leorah called, and everyone sighed in relief. She turned back to Wynne. "What now, Senior Enchanter?" Wynne sighed.

"Well, William and I were heading farther up into the Tower, trying to find the First Enchanter." There was an outbreak of muttering at Will's name, but Wynne ignored it for the moment. "Is there enough room for another eight people in here?" Leorah nodded. "Good. I was with another small group, who are still holding out not far from the apprentice quarters, and Owain is either with them or still at his post." Leorah nodded.

"We should try to collect them, there's safety in numbers." She then glanced at Will. "How did William get here. I though he had left to become a Grey Warden, and died at Ostagar." Will stepped forward.

"I am a Grey Warden, yes. However, I am still very much alive, and attempting to gather a force to end the Blight. I came to Kinloch seeking the assistance the Circle of Magi promised in a treaty. When I heard what had happened, I decided to help."

"What's going on out there?" the Templar spoke up, and Will was surprised to realize that he was a she. Female Templar were rare, but not unheard of. "What is the Knight Commander doing?" Will narrowed his eyes.

"The Knight Commander has left everyone in here for dead, and called for the Right of Annulment." Several gasps and curses greeted this declaration. "However, he said that if we could find First Enchanter Irving alive, then he would call it off."

"Then we have to hurry!" Leorah cried. People started muttering to each other, before Will raised his hand.

"Even if Senior Enchanter Wynne and myself can find Irving, it will be for naught if the abominations over-run you." The Templar nodded.

"Indeed. I shall proceed with the Warden, to assist them. After Senior Enchanter Wynne's charges are collected, remain in here."

"But why would they trust us?" One of the other mages, whom Will recognized as Godwin, called. "Won't they just think we're blood mages?" Will thought for a moment.

"Take Thunder with you. They'll recognize him." Thunder glanced up at him, whining. "Please, boy, we all have our parts to play. Besides, you can act as a watch for the Annulment. After convincing the people who were with Wynne that these people mean no harm, stand guard down there. If the Templar break in, rush up here and start barking, that will let them know that they have to move higher in the Tower." Wynne and Leorah nodded in understanding.

"Very well. May the Maker watch over all of us, in our respective missions." The Templar called.

"Indeed." Wynne said quietly. With that, Will lead the way out of the storeroom, listening to Leorah call for three mages to collect the others.

* * *

><p>"So, what is your name, Sir Templar?" Leliana asked.<p>

"My name is Sir Zelda, Warden." The Templar answered.

"Oh, I'm not a Warden, Sir Zelda, just a supporter." Zelda glanced at Leliana for a moment, before shrugging.

"Very well." She glanced at Will. "Let me lead, Warden. My armor and shield will keep us safe."

"If you say so, Sir Zelda." Will muttered, letting her take the lead. They proceed towards the Chapel. Several abominations attacked them, but were quickly slain, and the party continued on to the next floor of the Tower.

"This is horrible." Leliana whispered as she pointed out the strange fleshy masses growing along the wall. Wynne studied them for a moment.

"It's a sign that the Veil is weakening; strange and chaotic things often happen in places where the Fade and reality are too close." She sighed. "There has been so much bloodshed here, we must hurry and put an end to this."

"Indeed." Sir Zelda said firmly, before pushing open the door leading deeper into the Tower.

"I've been wondering." Will said quietly as he listened at the first door along the hall, and heard nothing. "Why is it that you're helping us. Wouldn't you follow the Knight Commander's orders to Annul us?" He pushed the door open, and saw merely wreckage.

"I might have." Zelda said, glancing around before continuing on. "However, I've been in here, and recognize that not all the mages have fallen. The Right of Annulment is only supposed to be used when there is no other choice. Currently, that is not the case." She turned to Will. "Know this, Warden. Even if the First Enchanter is dead, I will do all I can to convince the Knight Commander to spare those mages I know are innocent."

Will was about to answer, but the door in front of them burst open, and four Templar rushed out. They were followed by a graceful, purple skinned demon. Wearing all-but-nothing, the Desire demon smirked at the party.

"Oh goody! More toys to play with!" She pointed at them, and her Templar minions charged.

"Maker forgive you, brothers." Zelda whispered, drawing her weapon. Will quickly sealed the Desire Demon in a Force Field, then turned his might on the closest of the Templar. The fire slid off the enchanted armor, and he rushed Will, dispelling his shield. Zelda was holding two others back, and couldn't help him, and Wynne was dealing with the final Templar. He shifted the staff into close-quarters fighting, and blocked a fierce overhead swing. The Templar forced him back, before grunting in pain as Will brought the staff up to strike the side of his unhelmated head. He brought his sword up again, but Will charged him, digging his fingers into the man's eyes. Crying out, he shoved Will away, before gripping his face. Will re-gathered himself and blasted his opponent in the face with an Arcane Bolt.

Leliana's arrows were not having much affect against the heavy Templar armor, until he made the mistake of moving past Zelda to engage Leliana directly. She quickly grabbed something from a pouch, dodging the first massive swing. It turned out she had grabbed an egg filled with crushed glass and sand, broke it, and thrown the resulting mixture through the face-slit of the Templar's helmet. Roaring in pain, he started swinging randomly, never even coming close to hitting Leliana. She took the opportunity to carefully aim for the weak portion at the neck, killing the Templar.

Zelda soon overwhelmed her opponent, and turned to aid Wynne, who had used her earth magic to delay and confuse her opponent, making him easy prey for his former sister-in-arms. When the Desire demon exited the Force Field, she was almost immediately slain.

"I commend you into Andraste's hands, brothers." Zelda whispered, carefully wiping her blade clean. "Let us move on." Nodding, the others put their weapons away and followed her.

* * *

><p>"This is getting very worrying. Where are all the enemies hiding?" Will asked in frustration. There had been several small battles, but nothing the Templar would have had any trouble with. Where were the hordes he had been lead to believe stalked the tower?<p>

"I'm not sure, Warden." Zelda said quietly. "There were more around near the beginning. Perhaps, in the absence of mages and templar, they have started to kill each other?" She did not sound particularly hopeful.

"Unlikely. If they had, where are the bodies?" Wynne said. Nobody had an answer, so they pushed on. "Wait, this is the First Enchanter's office. Maybe there is something in there that could be of use." Nodding, Will glanced through the open door. The room seemed to be in one piece, the desk was littered with parchment, but that was normal for Irving. In fact, aside from the blood splattering the doorframe and the fact that Irving was nowhere in sight, Will could have been walking in for a meeting with Irving.

"I guess it was too much to hope for that he would be holed up in here, wouldn't it." Wynne said sadly. Will nodded, before walking in.

"Let's see if he left any clues as to what happened." He called. Everyone else agreed, and spread out, except for Leliana, who decided to keep watch in case any abominations tried to sneak up on them.

Will soon found himself studying the contents of a small chest in the corner. Most of it was junk, aside from a bottle of lyrium that Will pocketed, and a large, leather bound black tome. Somehow, Will felt drawn to this book, and he took some time to study it. It seemed familiar; though it took Will a moment to realize that the aura it gave off was similar to Morrigan's. Glancing around, he noticed that neither Wynne nor Zelda were looking, and he stuffed the book into his robes.

"Anyone find anything?" Leliana asked a minute or two later.

"Nothing except a small note in his journal that says he was starting to get suspicious of Uldred's ability to so accurately figure out blood mages." Zelda said coolly. "Now we know, he's probably one himself." Neither Wynne nor Will had found anything else, so the group decided to move on.

Several small engagements later, Will was getting more and more nervous. This was still far too easy. Suddenly, he stopped, holding up a hand. There were voices coming from an open door up ahead. Silently, the team drew their weapons and moved forward.

"Everything is just as you wanted, my knight." a soft, warm voice drifted out. Looking around the corner, Will saw another Desire demon pacing before a Templar. The man had a foolish, simpering smile on his face as he gazed at the demon, and his eyes were blank. Obviously possessed.

"Indeed, my love." The Templar rumbled, and Will tensed as he recognized the voice. Cursing violently under his breath, he stepped into the room. "Did you hear that, darling?"

The demon glanced around and saw Will. "Oh, it's nothing, my dear." she said, never taking her eyes off from Will. "Probably just the door. I'll go see." She stepped away from Templar Drass. "You are interrupting a loving, intimate moment, and I dislike disruptions."

"Release him, spawn of the Void!" Zelda hissed, glaring furiously at the demon, who merely smirked.

"Why should I? Do you not want him to be happy? He has a family now, a wife and children who love him. Would you take that away from him?"

"He does not have those things, you only force him to think he does so you can use him as a puppet!" Wynne said firmly. The demon cocked an eyebrow.

"Force him? I do not force him. He chooses to believe me. Happiness is, as they say, bewitching. Would any of you like to partake? I'm sure I could find room for you."

"Tempting, but I'll pass." Will said coldly. "But we'll be sure to kill you before we leave." Zelda nodded, stepping forward.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" the demon asked silkily. "Poor Drass here is convinced that I am his wife, and he is a dutiful, loving man. If I scream, he will come rushing to my rescue with the fury of a thousand suns. To slay me, you must slay him. Are you willing to go there?"

'All the better.' Will thought furiously, but it was Zelda who spoke.

"The Maker awaits Drass, when he falls. Eternity at His side is preferable to your cursed dream!" Will snorted quietly, but no one noticed.

"Then you leave me no choice." The demon took a step backwards, and her voice changed back into the warm voice of Drass' "wife."

"Help! Bandits are at the door! They want to kill me!" Drass looked up, his eyes narrowed in fury.

"Get behind me!" he called, drawing his sword and shield. The demon raised her hand, and a pair of corpses rose to their feet.

"Take the demon!" Will hissed. "I'll deal with the Templar." Zelda glanced at him, but complied, rushing the demon. Drass was about to attack her, before Will placed himself between them. "Your mine!" he growled, glaring hatefully at the Templar. The man roared and tried to force his way past Will towards Zelda and the demon, but was forced back with a blast of telekinesis. Will then stepped forward, flames lashing out and striking the Templar's face. He roared in pain, finally focusing his attention on Will, striking out with a Purge. Will hissed as he felt his mana flow out, but rallied and stepped a bit forward, inviting an overhead strike. Drass obliged, and stumbled as Will carefully redirected his momentum. With another savage blow, Will forced him to his knees. He growled, wreathing the butt of his staff with flames, and drove it into the back of Drass' head, killing him.

Wynne and Leliana had turned their attention to the two corpses, slaying the two corpses swiftly, before glancing up. An arrow penetrated the Desire demon's abdomen, followed by an Arcane Bolt. This did little to faze her, but she jerked when Drass was slain. This gave Zelda the opening she needed to end the demon, who crumbled into death.

"What was that about?" Zelda asked, turning to Will. He shrugged.

"I knew the Templar was going to go for whoever attacked the demon, and your better at taking hits." Zelda studied him for a moment, before accepting his logic. "Let's move on."

The next room was a wide-open central area, and only had one occupant. A tall, hulking Abomination was staring around listless, but turned as Will and the others entered.

"Oh, look. Visitors." Will rolled his eyes, a Sloth demon. "I'd entertain you, but… too much effort involved."

"That's ok." Will said. "I'll make my own entertainment out of killing you."

"Oh, don't." The demon said. "Aren't you tired from your long climb. Please, sit down, take a rest." Will opened his mouth, but the abomination gestured, and Will suddenly felt exhausted. Growling, he tried to raise his staff, strike the demon, but couldn't muster the strength. He distantly heard the others calling out, but couldn't focus. Gazing down, he saw a series of lights below him… such pretty lights…

(Codex: The Beginning of the Circle)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing is more successful at inspiring a person to mischief as being told not to do something. Unfortunately, the Chantry of the Divine Age had some trouble with obvious truths. Although it did not outlaw magic-quite the contrary, as the Chantry relied upon magic to kindle the eternal flame which burns in every brazier in every chantry-it relegated mages to lighting candles and lamps. Perhaps occasional dusting of rafters and eaves.

I will give my readers a moment to contemplate how well such a role satisfied the mages of the time.

It surprised absolutely no one when the mages of Val Royeaux, in protest, snuffed the sacred flames of the cathedral and barricaded themselves inside the choir loft. No one, that is, but Divine Ambrosia II, who was outraged and attempted to order an Exalted March upon her own cathedral. Even her most devout Templars discouraged that idea. For 21 days, the fires remained unlit while negotiations were conducted, legend tells us, by shouting back and forth from the loft.

The mages went cheerily into exile in a remote fortress outside of the capital, where they would be kept under the watchful eye of the Templars and a council of their own elder magi. Outside of normal society, and outside of the Chantry, the mages would form their own closed society, the Circle, separated for the first time in human history.

_-From _Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry, _by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar._

_AN: _I have a quick question for you, my loyal readers. It is possible that Sir Zelda could stick around, or she could disappear after the current quest. Which would you prefere?

Hope you enjoy the chapter.


	12. Not This Place Again!

Reviewer Response:

Agent 94: You'll see why Amell didn't show up in this chapter . I was thinking that the dragons might have been part of some experiment, but I don't know either, seems kind of silly. Glad you still like the story.

pacificuser: I hope whatever caused the stroke doesn't come back, and I'm glad you're doing all right now. I'll try to fit in more descriptions as I go on. Thanks for the review.

Chapter 11: Not This Place Again!

"Will? Billy, wake up!"

Will groaned, forcing his eyes open. He blinked several times, trying to clear the gunk out. Finally, he was able to focus on the speaker, who seemed to be kneeling next to him. The beautiful young woman, probably in her mid teens, smiled in relief.

"Oh, Will. I was worried about you. I thought I had overdone it." He stared at her, blinking some more. "What, cat got your tongue?"

"Solona? Solona Amell?" Will whispered. The raven-hair girl nodded, smiling warmly down at him. "I… Where… How…"

"It's Ok, Billy." Solona said soothingly, gently running her hand through his hair. "Everything's going to be fine." He shook his head, trying to push himself into a sitting position. "Easy, easy! You're still groggy!"

"But, Solona, you can't be here. I… you're dead…" Solona laughed warmly, cocking her head.

"Oh, Will, is that what you were worried about?" She gently grabbed his hand and brought it up to her cheek. "See, do I feel dead to you?" Will stared at her, blinking rapidly. "It was all a dream, a horrid dream."

Solona carefully lifted Will into a sitting position, and he got a better look at the room they were in. There was a small cot in the corner, with the covers in complete disarray. The rest of the room seemed dusty, except for the blackened spot on the opposite wall. A pile of barrels and crates lay in one corner.

"Where are we?" Will asked, looking around worriedly. Solona studied him for a moment, keeping a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"You mean you… don't remember what happened?" she asked, and Will noted a touch of pain in her voice as she said it. He shook his head slowly, and she shrugged. "Perhaps that is for the best. I… I hope I will forget, in time." Will glanced worriedly at his best friend, wondering what was causing her distress. "But enough about me! Can you stand, Will?"

"I think so, Solona." She stood, before reaching her hand down and gently helping him to his feet. He looked up at her, somehow the fact that he was shorter than her seemed… wrong. Why was that, he had always been shorter than her? He hissed suddenly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, my arm just itched for a second. I'm fine." She glanced at him worriedly, and he smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, really." He glanced around. "So, where are we going?"

"Let's head for the library. I think we both could use a few books right around now." Will nodded, scratching his left arm slightly. Solona dusted her robes off, before walking to the door, followed by Will. The tower was awfully quiet, without even the occasional Templar stationed along the corridor. Will brought this up, but Solona laughed it off. "It's breakfast, everyone's upstairs." She turned, walking backwards so she could smile at him. "It'll be nice to have some quiet time, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Will watched as Solona turned around again. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel that something was off.

'Oh why do you always have to be such a pessimist?' a voice asked in the back of his head. 'It's just Solona, there's nothing to be worried about!' He smiled slightly, watching his friend gently push the library door open, glancing in to make sure that no one was around.

"Well, we're here." she said, leading him to one of the tables. "Anything in particular you want to study?" Will sat down, thinking for a moment.

"I'm still trying to figure out that Healing spell. Could you help me?" Solona smiled and nodded, before turning to grab the big Creation tome at the end of the shelf. Will watched her for a moment, before letting out another hiss of pain. His arm was still acting up. Frustrated, he pulled up the sleeve so that he could see what was bothering him.

Solona turned, smiling, to see Will staring in shock at his upper arm. "What is it, Will?"

Will slowly looked up, glaring at the person standing across the room. He slowly twisted his arm so that she could see what was there. Burned into the arm were two words: Never Forget.

"I remember what I was not supposed to forget, now." Will said, his voice chilling the air. "Solona Amell is dead. You are not she." He glared hatefully across the room. "How dare you defile her form and memory, _demon_! I will end this travesty!"

The creature in Solona's image laughed quietly, before shifting easily into the form of a Desire demon. "Such righteous fury, young mortal, so delicious." Will's eyes narrowed as the demon continued to use Solona's voice. "But why does it have to be this way, little Billy?" She slowly walked towards Will, swaying her hips. "I have your memories of dear Solona. I can be her, if you only let me. She can still be with you." She gently reached out for Will.

She was forced to pull her hand back as Will lashed out with a wave of fire. "DON'T TOUCH ME, DEMON!" he shouted, rising to his full height, and drawing the staff that had returned to him. "You will die for what you did here today." With a wave of his staff, the table picked itself up and flew towards the demon. She brushed it aside with a wave of her hand, glaring back at Will.

"Fine, foolish mortal, _be that way_!" She snarled, finally using her own voice. "I offered you happiness, companionship, and you throw it back in my face! Very well, prepare yourself for death!" She smirked. "Perhaps you will have your wish, and meet your beloved on the other side!"

Will bared his teeth in response, before lashing out with another wave of fire. The demon batted this attack aside as well, before throwing a ball of magic at him. His shield deflected it off to the side, but it arched around and came at his back. He barely sensed it in time, canceling it out with an Arcane Bolt. Meanwhile, the demon was floating towards him, forming a whip of pure energy in one hand. Will snarled, reaching out telekinetically and pulling the table back towards the demon. She lifted herself out of its way, and Will twisted it to form a barricade between the two of them.

"Surely you can do better than this, Billy!" the demon taunted, slipping back into Solona's voice. "This is boring!" Will snarled in response, casting Ice Bolt. The demon simply counteracted the spell, before vanishing from sight. Will slowly turned in place, looking for where the demon would reappear. Finally, he sensed a flicker of magic, and turned to throw a fireball at it. The demon hissed slightly as she reappeared strait into the flames. She glowered at him. "Perhaps you will be something resembling a challenge after all."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Will snarled, forming a thin disk of fire and chucking it at the demon, who dodged. Much like her energy ball, the disk reversed itself on Will's command. The demon flickered out of sight for a moment, reappearing on the other side and slicing the disk in half as it continued to follow her. She chuckled, before whispering a few words that Will couldn't here. She then floated sideways slightly, leaving a perfect copy behind.

"Which of us is the real demon, Billy?" Will ignored the barb and concentrated on attempting to sense any difference. Finally, one of the demons almost seemed to become more transparent to his eyes. Both started drifting towards him. He threw an Arcane Bolt at the more solid one, but was surprised when that one simply dissipated.

"Works every time." The demon whispered as she put on a burst of speed, lashing out with her whip. Will tried to block it, but the tip cut his cheek.

A wave of nausea seemed to flow from the small wound, and Will realized that the whip was cursed. He blinked several times, trying to bring the world into focus. His shield deflected another whip strike, but he was not fast enough to fully deflect the ball of energy that the demon threw. The breath left his body as he was slammed back into the table.

"All too easy." Solona's voice drifted through Will's blurred vision, and he saw the light as the demon charged up a ball of energy. Blinking, Will forced himself to glare.

"Fuck you." He then brought the table over his head with telekinesis, blocking the massive bolt. The table shattered, and the demon was forced to split the river of fire that flowed from Will's staff.

The demon laughed quietly. The mortal was wasting far too much energy thrashing about; at this rate he would kill himself and save her the trouble. She simple stayed put, splitting the magical flames.

Suddenly, with no apparent dip in the amount of fire, an invisible hand threw her into the nearest bookshelf. Blinking, she turned towards Will, who was swinging his staff upwards. The force grabbed her again, this time sending her careening up to smash into the ceiling. She cursed as she started falling. Her eyes suddenly widened as Will waved his staff, and an icy mist coalesced under her. As the fog faded, the demon saw a mass of large, razor sharp spikes had been formed. She desperately tried to push herself off to one side, but Will was faster. He brought his staff down, grabbing her telekinetically one last time and smashing her down onto the icy points.

Will groaned, blinking some more, before studying his handiwork. The body of the demon was fading, leaving behind several stained ice spikes. He smirked coldly, before walking past the slowly melting ice to look around the library. The demon that had trapped him in the Fade had been a Sloth Demon, and since he was obviously still trapped, it had to be in a different part of the Fade. That meant there had to be a connection around here somewhere. He soon found it, disguised as the old summoning font. He tapped it with his staff, and studied the image that appeared. A series of small spheres were connected by lines, forming a pentagon and four offshoots. A central ball of energy, with a misty wall surrounding it, finished the diagram.

"Probably a map of the area." Will muttered to himself. The top-most offshoot was glowing fiercely, which must mean that Will was there. Experimentally, he touched the closest mote of energy. There was a brief hiss, and Will glanced up to see a portal had appeared before him. Nodding, he stepped through.

He arrived in a more recognizable Fade area, a floating island. A large canyon wall ran down the center of the area, with two arches at the end of the paths. Only one, however was filled with the purple light that indicated it was active. However, Will barely noticed most of these things, focusing more on the other person who occupied the area.

A man sat dejectedly against the wall, his head in his hands. He had short, shaggy brown hair, which looked like it he had been pulling on it earlier. He glanced up as Will approached.

"Who… William Surana?" he whispered, getting to his feet. Will nodded.

"It's me, Niall. Long time, no see." The older mage groaned slightly, shaking his head.

"How'd you get trapped in this pit. I thought you were dead." Will raised his eyebrow.

"People keep saying that. Did Uldred mention me specially?"

"No, he just said that almost everyone at Ostagar was killed, and everyone knew you were there." He glanced around. "Well, congratulations, I guess. You got out of there, as well as whatever dream the demons cooked up for you." He sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Not like it really matters."

"Why do you say that?" Will asked. "We're still alive, right. We can still fight." Niall shook his head again.

"No, we can't. Believe me, I tried, but the main demon knows his stuff." Sighing, Niall gestured at a small font that stood nearby, and the map appeared again. "You see this barrier?" he asked, gesturing towards the central orb. Will nodded. "Well, it's being powered by a minor demon lord in each of these five areas. I've wandered around all of them, and haven't had any luck. There are obstacles all over the place, walls of fire, openings that are far too small, and so on. It's hopeless." He dismissed the map with another wave of his hand, before sitting back down.

"So that's it?" Will asked scathingly. "You're just going to sit down and die? If that's the case, why don't you just kill yourself, so the demon can't sap any more energy from you?" Niall just groaned, ignoring Will. He cursed under his breath, before turning and walking towards the open portal.

As the world re-formed around him, Will heard a roar. Drawing his staff, he saw a Rage demon coming towards him, flames licking at its hands. Smirking, Will froze it with a Winter's Grasp, before blasting it apart with an Arcane Bolt. Shaking his head, Will glanced around the area. It was empty, except for a small pile of dirt that looked even more out of place than most things in the Fade did. Curious, Will walked slowly towards it, crouching down. There was a small hole, and Will thought he saw a pair of eyes gazing out at him.

"Hey, you Ok in there?" he asked. The eyes blinked, and didn't answer. "It's alright, there aren't any demons around."

"How do I know _you_ aren't a demon?" a squeaky voice came from the hole. Will smiled slightly.

"If I was a demon, I would have burned you out already." The voice was silent, but the eyes continued watching him curiously. "So, you a spirit, or someone else who got trapped in here?"

"… I'm a mage," the voice answered. Will nodded.

"So, how did you get to be like this?"

"I… I was being chased. I had to hide, and I saw the hole. I really needed to get away, so I became small. I've been in here ever since."

"Is there anything interesting in there?" Will asked curiously.

"Well, there's another opening, into another part of the Fade." the mouse said slowly. "Other than that, no."

"So, to become small, someone just has to want it enough?" Will asked. There was another moment of silence from the mouse.

"Kind of." he said finally. "It helps if there is real, immediate need. Why do you want to know?"

"There are various barriers that prevent those who are trapped here from getting to the main demon." Will said quietly. "According to someone who has been around, some of them involve entrances too small for a person." He smiled. "However, very little is too small for a mouse."

"Well, I guess I can help you. Not like I have anything better to do." Will stepped back as the mouse slowly exited the hole. He looked around, his nose twitching. "Ok, I'll try to show you what you need to do."

* * *

><p>Will slowly poked his head out of the other side of the small mouse passage. There didn't seem to be any demons around, so he exited and reformed himself. He shook his head. Even though that demon in his Harrowing had been, well, a demon, it had been right about how difficult it was to transform oneself, especially if you weren't used to it. He was also more impressed with Morrigan, the idea that she could do it in the actual world as opposed to the Fade was nothing less than amazing.<p>

He shook his head, turning towards another purple portal across the way, destroying a wisp that appeared suddenly.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" a cool voice called out. Will drew his staff, turning to try and find the source. Laughter echoed around the area, and he finally found the Desire demon atop a plateau. "It seems that Zeoana failed to hold you."

"You think you can do better?" Will called tauntingly. The demon smirked.

"It's not like I have to try. You'll never find your way up here, and Lord Sloth will drain you before too long." She waved tauntingly. "Have fun!" With that, she turned and walked away. Will growled and went through the portal, finding himself back in the starting area.

Niall looked up as Will approached from the opposite direction. "How did you get over there?" he asked, springing to his feet. "I never figured out how to get over there!"

"I thought you'd given up, Niall." Will said coolly. "Why so interested."

"I… don't know." Niall said slowly. "I guess I'm just surprised you managed to do something I thought was impossible." He glanced around. "How did you do it?"

"I became small." Will said calmly. "If you're interested, the guy who taught me is probably still hiding out in the hole just through there." With that, he walked by and brought up the map. Studying it for a moment, he randomly chose one of the spheres on the pentagon and walked through the portal.

He found himself inside a building, surrounded by scorched stones. Several small fires were burning in the corner, and what was left of several tables and chairs was scattered around the room. He glanced around, noticing that there was only one door. He was about to go through it, before noticing another small mouse hole. He paused to consider for a moment. Niall had said that he had searched everywhere, which meant that the door was likely a dead end. Nodding, he transformed back into a mouse and carefully slipped through the short passage.

Peeking carefully out the other end, he was shocked to see several Genlocks and a Hurlock standing around. None of them were looking in his direction, so he carefully slipped out and crept to a pillar so that he could transform. He couldn't sense the darkspawn, so they obviously couldn't sense him. He glanced carefully around the pillar, noticing that most of the enemies were clustered near the door. Smirking, he charged a fireball before tossing it into the middle of the group. The two surviving Genlocks turned, looking for the attack that killed most of their companions, but fell as Will froze one and blasted an Arcane Bolt through the next one's head. Will poked each of the bodies, making sure that they were dead, before turning to the door. He carefully pushed the door open, peeking around to make sure that there weren't any darkspawn around. There was only a short corridor leading to another door. Cursing, he repeated the process with this door, only to be forced to withdraw his head as a pair of arrows hit the frame. He sprinted back to the first door, half-closing it to give himself some cover.

Fortunately, the dream-darkspawn were not very smart, as the whole group forced their way through the door, only to be blown up by a fireball. The lone survivor tired to aim an arrow at Will, but he took its head off with a lance of fire. Shaking his head, Will walked past the corpses and looked around. Another mouse hole was located in the corner, otherwise there was no real way to proceed. Will calmly slipped in and surveyed the scene on the other side.

A single, armored figure was fighting several darkspawn. Will recognized, sadly, that the darkspawn were playing with their opponent, taunting him with the futility of his resistance. Cursing, Will jumped out and caught the man in a Force Field, before blasting the enemy with a massive fireball. Most of the darkspawn were killed instantly, and those that weren't were eliminated swiftly.

Will waited for about a minute before the Force Field dissipated. The Templar stumbled slightly, before falling to his knees.

"Who… are… you?" the man asked weakly. Will studied him for a moment, before shaking his head. There was nothing he could do for this man, even Wynne would have had trouble healing the wounds the darkspawn had inflicted. He simply crouched down, trying to alleviate the poor man's suffering. Templar or no, he deserved that much.

"Someone who's going to try to ensure your death wasn't in vain." Will said quietly. He thought he saw a smile appear on the man's face, before he fell back, dead.

Will slowly stood, looking around. There was another font that would lead to a different area, and another door. He tried to open the door, but it was locked, and the Rod of Fire had no effect on it. Cursing quietly, Will turned towards the font. He jerked, however, when a portal appeared, and Wynne stepped out.

"William?" she asked, blinking. Will nodded, taking a step closer. "How did you get here?"

"Same way you probably did." Will said calmly. "Saw through the dream, killed the demon, and wandered out here." Wynne studied him for a moment, obviously wondering whether Will was a demon in disguise or not. Finally seeming to decide he wasn't, she lowered her staff.

"Indeed. I haven't seen any sign of Leliana or Sir Zelda, they must either still be in their dreams, or wander around." Wynne summoned the map, and the two of them started studying it. "I was here." She pointed at the area closest to where the two of them were.

"I was up here." Will said. "I've mostly cleared out this area, and found Niall. He gave me a bit of information on what we're facing. Apparently, each of these areas has a demon lord, who is charged with keeping the barrier around Sloth's central area. The only way to kill him, and thus get out of here, is to kill each of them." Wynne nodded.

"Did you find the demon in the area you were in?" Will nodded.

"I did, but I didn't have any way to get to her." Wynne stood still for a moment, pondering.

"Let's take a look together. I'm more comfortable with the Fade, being a Spirit Healer. Maybe I'll see something you missed." Will nodded, and Wynne created a portal to their destination, and they both stepped through.

Niall glanced up again, blinking in shock. "Senior Enchanter Wynne?" he gasped, standing. "You're still alive?"

"I am, Niall." Wynne said gently. "How are you holding up?" Niall paused for a moment, before sighing.

"Not well, ma'am," he said tiredly. "I've been in here too long, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to last." Wynne carefully held up a hand, and a soft beam of light ran over Niall. She shook her head.

"The demon has been draining you for quiet a while. All I can suggest is you stay quiet, save your energy." Niall nodded, and carefully sat down again. Wynne glanced at Will, who looked slightly sheepish at having been so short with Niall earlier. Wynne nodded, then closed here eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were glowing blue, and she took a careful look around the area. After a moment, she stopped, studying one area more closely. "There it is."

Will followed her gaze, but saw only a wall. However, he trusted Wynne's judgment. Spirit Healers were mages who, through either fate or training, had a strong connection with the good spirits of the Fade. Through this connection, they were able to both work healing miracles and navigate the Fade more comfortably than any other mage. If she said that there was something there, then there probably was.

Wynne walked over to the point she was staring at, and carefully poked it with her staff. The air seemed to shimmer slightly, and a door appeared, hovering in midair in front of the cliff face.

"Come on, William." Wynne turned back to him, her eyes fading to their normal color. "Let's take this demon down." Will nodded, joined Wynne at the door, and the two mages stepped through.

The Desire demon who had taunted Will earlier spun around as he and Wynne stepped through the door into her sanctum. "What… How…" she gasped, backing away slightly.

"Demons are not the only one who can see the unseen in the Fade." Wynne said calmly, drawing her staff. Will simply grinned, having already taken his own staff out. The demon called for reinforcements, and a pair of shades detached themselves from the wall and moved to flank Will and Wynne. Will calmly turned to face them, leaving the demon herself to Wynne. A fireball annihilated one of the shades, and left the other one vulnerable to a few of Arcane Bolts. Wynne had a bit more trouble, but held her own against the Desire demon until Will could move and assist her. Together, they swiftly killed the demon.

The island seemed to rumble slightly at her death, and Will smirked. One down, four to go.

* * *

><p>Will looked around in horror at the new area he and Wynne had found themselves in. It looked like the lower levels of the Circle Tower, except for the fact that everything was on fire.<p>

"This… this is horrible." Wynne whispered, staring around. "This is what we are trying to prevent." Will nodded glancing around. They started forward, only to be stopped at the door by a wall of fire.

"Give me a second." Will said, before setting his staff into the ground and staring into the fire. A thin tendril of flame shot from the staff, mingling with the wall. After a few minuets of concentration, he was able to gain control of the fire, forcing it out of their path.

"Well done, William." Wynne said happily. He smirked, he may not be great when it came to more subtle things like healing, but if a problem had anything to do with fire, that was where he excelled.

"Let's move on." Wynne nodded, and the two moved on. Eventually, they reached the first set of stairs, and headed up. When they arrived, they got a bit of a surprise.

"Looks like whatever demon made this place doesn't know much about the tower." Wynne said as they looked up at the weird green sky, hanging over what looked like the beginning of a maze. Will shrugged.

"Well, let's move on." Wynne nodded, and the two mages carefully pushed on. Several Templar and mabari tried to attack them. Wynne might have been worried that these were possessed mortals, except for the fact that they were all on fire. Will had a bit more trouble with these foes, because of the fact that his fire wouldn't hurt them, but other than that things went smoothly. After a few minutes and another two removed fire barriers, Wynne held up a hand.

"One moment, William." She looked carefully around with her Fade eyes, then revealed another invisible door. They carefully stepped through, glancing around.

"BEGONE!" A massive Rage demon rose from its position in the corner, before rushing towards them. Both Will and Wynne struck with their most powerful attacks, but the demon didn't seem to be fazed by this. As it approached, it formed a pair of flaming blades on its arm and slashing at them. Will carefully blocked with his shield, while Wynne started chanting softly. She then cast another glyph, a Glyph of Warding. The demon hissed as it found itself unable to harm its foes, and it started chucking fireballs. Will moved his shields rapidly, keeping the attacks from reaching either himself or Wynne. She took the opportunity to keep hammering the demon lord, until it finally fell.

"Two down, let's move on." Will said, summoning the map once more.

The next area they arrived in also resembled Kinloch, though it, thankfully, was not on fire. A mage was standing in the corner, and glanced up as Wynne and Will entered. "Demons! Die, demons!" he shouted, drawing his staff. Will was faster, freezing him in place. The body vanished as the "mage" died.

"It seems the demons are in the mood to mess with our emotions." Wynne said coldly. Will nodded slowly, leading the way towards the first door. Once again, the first floor was a fairly accurate, becoming more odd further up.

"What is that?" Will asked, staring at the massive statue that was standing in the middle of the corridor.

"Looks like a golem." Wynne said quietly. "Old Dwarven constructs. No one knows how they were made, but they were instrumental to holding of the First Blight." Will watched it carefully as they approached. The golem suddenly started moving, lowering itself into a crouch and raising its massive arms threateningly. Will drew his staff, watching the golem carefully. It then started stomping forward.

'Fire isn't going to hurt this thing…" Will thought, throwing an Arcane Bolt that did exactly nothing. Wynne's Stone Fist did little more. The golem continued forward, shrugging off everything the two mages were throwing at it. "Pull back." Will hissed as the golem raised its fist. Both of them retreated, continuing to try to break the rocky armor.

"William, try telekinesis on it." Wynne called, tripping the golem up with a stone barrier. Will quickly started thinking through the various spells he knew. The only one he could think of was Crushing Prison. He jogged back a few steps and started concentrating. The golem, fortunately, seemed to be more concerned with Wynne than him. He reached out with his hand after focusing energy through his staff.

Several fingers of light sprang up around the golem. It roared, but could not break the telekinetic bands that formed around it. Will slowly clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, drawing the crushing energies tighter. The golem continued to struggle, but it was useless, and soon cracks started appearing in its stony hide, and eventually the whole thing broke with a massive crash.

Will groaned slightly. Crushing Prison was a difficult spell to maintain. Unlike Force Field, one could not simply cast the spell and then leave it, the caster had to maintain the spell. There were some theories that said it might be technically possible to modify the spell, but no one had figured out how to do it.

"Well done, William." Wynne said, before murmuring a few words. Will felt some strength flow back into him, Wynne must have transferred some mana. He nodded his thanks before continuing on.

Fortunately, no more golems appeared, and the few Templar and Chantry initiates with knives fell easily. Eventually, Will pushed open the final door and saw an Abomination standing in the middle of the room. The Abomination glanced up, and Will felt the power radiating off from it, this had to be the lord of this realm.

A fireball slammed into it, knocking it off its feet. As it struggled to its feet, a rock bowled it over again. It never got a chance to continue forward, being hammered continuously by various disabling spells. Finally, it couldn't take any more, and died.

"Where should we go next?" Will asked as he studied the map. Wynne considered.

"This area seems to be accessible now," she said, pointing to one of the spots that seemed to be a prison area. "Perhaps either Sir Zelda or Leliana are there." Will considered for a moment, before realizing that it was the smartest coarse of action. Another person to help them would do nothing but good.

"Let's go." They arrived at the entrance of what looked like an open castle courtyard. In the center, two women were battling.

One seemed to be about fifty or so, judging by the graying hair. She still seemed to have the strength to keep up with the young teenager, her sword flicking out in swift, controlled arcs. Her opponent, on the other hand, fought with a more open style, her shield held slightly away from the body. Will recognized this as the Templar fighting style, which was more focused on counteracting magic that it was on defending one from another sword-wielder. So this must be Zelda's dream.

Both women seemed to be having a good time, laughter could be heard over the clash of weapons. The teen ducked under a blow, her bright blonde hair ruffled by the wind.

"Any plans?" Will asked Wynne quietly, drawing back out of sight. Drawing people out of dreams like his could be a tricky proposition, especially when one did not know the subject very well.

"I'm afraid not, William." Wynne said quietly. "I've never spoken with Sir Zelda before, so I have no idea what is going on. All I can say is the first thing we have to do is earn her trust somehow. Then we can move on to trying to convince her that something is wrong." Will thought for a moment.

"Wait, I think I know what to do." He lowered his voice. "First, I'm…"

* * *

><p>Will poked his head around the wall one more time. The spar seemed to be wearing down, and the older woman seemed to be winning. With one final twist, she forced the sword out of Zelda's hand, before spinning it up to touch the neck.<p>

Far from seeming frustrated by her loss, Zelda simply laughed. "Seems like I'll have to be faster to beat you, Mother!" she called, stepping forward to give the demon impersonating her mother a hug.

"No, dear. You have the speed part down. You're only real problem is a lack of experience, and that comes with time." Zelda grinned, then jerked as the sound of applause filled the courtyard.

An older man was walking from the other entrance. His hair was brown, though flecks of grey were starting to appear. He was grinning widely.

"You're mother's right, Pup." He said warmly. "It won't be long until you're better than both of us." Zelda looked shocked.

"Father!" she cried, walking over to him. "Surely…" Her father laughed slightly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Your mother and I aren't getting any younger, Pup. I'm glad to know that you'll be able to take care of yourself, whatever might happen." Will felt that this was the time for him to make his dramatic entrance.

"Um… Excuse me?" he asked, trying to sound tentative. Everyone turned to look at him. He saw the two demons' eyes narrow, but Zelda simply looked curious. "Does anyone know where I might find the lord of the castle?"

"Right here. I'm Teyrn Cousland." The father stepped forward. "Who are you, and how did you get in?"

"Oh, my apologies, your Lordship!" Will said quickly, stepping fully into the courtyard and bowing. "My name is William Surana, I'm a Grey Warden." He held up his pendant.

"I was not informed that Grey Wardens would be coming." Teyrn Cousland said slowly. Will raised his hands slightly in a pacifying gesture.

"Really? The seneschal said that you got the letter we sent. The Commander would know more, I was just sent to see if you were around, my Lord." The Teyrn/demon raised his eyebrow slightly, clearly realizing what Will was trying to do, but not able to force the issue without blowing his cover.

"Very well, Warden. I'll go talk to your Commander," he said, forcing his voice to sound friendly. He walked past Will, who stepped back to allow him to pass. Both Zelda and her "mother" watched Will carefully when he didn't follow the Teyrn.

"Do you mind if I stay here?" Will called. "I'm still considered too young of a Warden to be given too much responsibility, other than staying out of the way." The demon glared at him, but Zelda nodded.

"By all means, stay, Warden." She called. She seemed happy enough.

"Thank you, your Ladyship." Will said, glancing out of the courtyard area. Wynne and the demon, which had reverted too it's true form, were silently glaring at each other, unable to make a sound. 'Focus, Will' he berated himself. "That was impressive sword work there, your Ladyship."

"Really?" Zelda asked, blushing slightly. "I'm sure you've seen much better with the Wardens."

"Well, it actually reminded me more of how the Templar fight." Will said, carefully trying to sound casual. "The way you hold your shield reminds me of them, they have to keep it mobile to deflect spells." Once again, the demon posing as Zelda's mother obviously saw what Will was trying to do, but couldn't interfere too much. Not that she didn't try.

"Are you sure your commander is fine with you simply standing around?" she asked, again working to sound friendly and unconcerned. Will nodded.

"Indeed, your Ladyship. I was actually just inducted about a month ago, and according to the Warden who showed me the ropes, until about a year on the job, all I'm expected to do is fight and stay quiet. Really, I prefer that, that's what we're taught to do at the Tower."

"Really?" Zelda asked. "That's it? I thought that the Circle would have more interesting things to teach than how to fight and stay quiet."

"Well, there are mages who do other things, like heal or enchant. They, however, are generally the upper echelons of the Circle, the rest of us are trying to survive." He swiftly pushed on. "Well, we also watch the Templar when we can. I remember them talking about some special mental exercise they use to increase their battle efficiency. I tried it out once, and it actually kind of works. Want to hear it?"

Zelda seemed extremely tempted. "Is it hard?" Will smiled.

"Not really. All it requires is a bit of concentration. The hardest bit is using it when actually dueling, but it's supposed to work wonders."

"Dear, are you sure that you should be listening to this man?" the demon tried again, but Zelda was not to be dissuaded.

"Mother, the Grey Wardens wouldn't let anyone too unscrupulous into their ranks!" she said firmly, before turning back to Will. "Ok, what is this special technique?"

"Well, first you have to focus on your breathing." Will said, dropping his voice into a more soothing tone. Zelda complied. "For the moment, the only thing that exists is your breathing. In, out. In, out." Zelda's eyes drifted closed automatically, which was good, as the demon could have raised an objection if he had been forced to ask her too. "Once you are in complete control of your breathing, then you can move on to the rest of your body. Take note of it, any subtle pains, any and everything." Zelda's brow furrowed slightly, and the demon started pacing restlessly, glaring furiously at Will. "Now, find something in your mind, something you know very, very well. Take that, and focus on that." He paused, giving Zelda time. Finally, she nodded slowly. "Now, think about how you got here. See if anything seems off or wrong."

"Huh?" Zelda asked, but Will could see that his plan was working. Zelda's eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids, confused.

"It's vitally important that you do this." Will said quietly, watching the demon closely. "Remember, your mind is your own, and look for any discrepancies."

Zelda suddenly gasped, her eyes flying open. Will grinned, she had just completed the Mental Fortress.

"I think you know what I'm getting at, Sir Zelda." She nodded dumbly, still staring around the courtyard in confusion.

"Zelda, please…" the demon started, reaching out for Zelda's shoulder.

"You're not my mother, demon. And the person who left isn't my father." Zelda's voice was steely again, having lost its warmth. "You have no hold on me anymore."

"You're staying here, girl." The demon's voice had returned to what it should be. "Dead or alive, I don't particularly care." With that, she raised her blade and lashed out with blinding speed. Will had been expecting this, and hit her with a Winter's Blast, slowing her enough for Zelda to raise her shield. Meanwhile, Wynne and the other demon engaged, and from what Will could hear, it wasn't going well for the demon. Zelda, meanwhile, was once again clad in her Templar armor, and was pushing the demon back. Will stood back, it was better to let her take out any frustration she had by herself for the most part. He would help if it looked like she needed it.

She didn't. After a few moments, Zelda was able to get around the demon's guard and strike a deadly blow. The demon fell slowly, disappearing as it did. Zelda stepped back slowly, watching the image of her mother fade.

"You Ok?" Will asked, stepping closer. Zelda turned to face him.

"I am. Thank you for your help, Warden." She reached down and grabbed her Templar helmet and put it on, once again becoming the faceless enforcer of the Chantry's will. But somehow, Will couldn't forget the face of the frightened young woman that lurked underneath.

"Let's move on, if you two are ready." Wynne called. Zelda nodded, and the two of them returned to where Wynne was studying the map.

"I suggest we clear out this area." Will said quietly. "That will probably open up this lower dream prison, so we can save Leliana." The others seemed to accept this idea, and the three set off.

Will immediately knew that this area was going to be a challenge when he saw it. The whole place had an aura of chaos and confusion around it, which meant that the demon in charge wasn't even trying to play by the rules of the real world.

"Let's go." Zelda said quietly, taking the lead. They passed through several doors and corridors, with one battle against a group of abominations, before they found something interesting.

"Not another one." Will muttered as he pulled on the door, which refused to budge.

"What is it?" Zelda asked.

"This door isn't going to open, and if it's anything like the other one I found, even my Rod of Fire isn't going to get it open." Both Wynne and Zelda stared at him.

"And where, might I ask, did you get a Rod of Fire?" Wynne asked. Will paused for a moment.

"I got it for that business with Jowen. No one asked me to give it back, so I thought it was Ok that I kept it." Will glance around, before grinning. "Bingo." He quickly walked over to the mouse hole he had noticed. "Stay here, I'm going to see if I can figure out what's going on." With that, he transformed and slipped into the hole.

There was a single Rage demon on the other side of the door, along with several bookcases. Will slipped behind one of these barriers and transformed, before slaying the demon. He then turned his attention to the door. He soon noticed the problem; there was a rune carved into the lock, which probably prevented it from being damaged. He simply unlocked the door before opening it.

"It seems you're full of surprises, Warden." Zelda said as she and Wynne entered. Will nodded, before continuing on. Fortunately, no more of these unbreakable doors showed themselves, and the path remained fairly linear, if physically impossible. Finally, they found the demon lord of the area.

The Desire demon glanced up from the corpse she had been contemplating, and grinned.

"Oh, hello. I wasn't expecting visitors." Her voice was surprisingly cheerful, considering she was outnumbered three to one by mortals who wanted to kill her. Zelda walked forward carefully, keeping her shield up. "Oh, you're those kinds of people." Suddenly, the demon vanished, and in her place was a mouse, which was recognizable by the fact that it still had fire for hair and tiny horns. Zelda tried to slash her, but she darted quickly into a small hole.

"Will…" Wynne said slowly. Will nodded.

"Stay here, I'll be back." With those words, he transformed into a mouse and followed the demon.

He found her in a large room on the other side, sitting at the head of a fancy table. She glanced up as he transformed.

"Impressive. I wasn't expecting anyone to be able to follow me here. At least, no one who could get through the rest of the defenses." She gestured him to take a seat. He ignored her. "Why do you hate me so, mortal?" she whined slightly. "What have I done to you?"

"Well, you're preventing me from getting to your boss and killing him, thus releasing everyone from this nightmare." The demon sat back slightly, considering.

"What if I was willing to open the way for you? Would you leave then?" Will stared at her.

"And who's to say you won't just close it again as soon as I leave?" She raised one eyebrow delicately.

"If you and your allies got here once, you can do so again." she said simply. "But if you really must be certain…" She took a deep breath, and a glow started emanating from her eyes. "I, Vereveel, swear upon my power and my life that I will remove the barrier that I am holding to protect the sanctum of Lord Sloth as well as the barrier preventing you from reaching your final ally. I will also refuse to create another barrier or in any way impede your progress, or the progress of those who support you." Will blinked several times.

"Why would you do that?" Vereveel smiled slightly, the glow dying.

"To be quite frank, I want to go on living. I have been watching what you and the others have done, and I am not at all confident that I could win a confrontation. Therefore, it makes sense to stand aside. Besides, I never liked Sloth anyways." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Well, aren't you worried that he might beat us. He wouldn't be happy with your betrayal." Vereveel laughed warmly.

"I have little doubt that, together, two mages, a Templar, and a mortal who has spent much of her adult life in battle will be able to overcome that puffed up old fool." She smiled warmly. "Well, you should probably be going. Maybe we'll meet again, mortal."

A rumble echoed throughout the area, and Will knew the barrier had gone down. He wasn't sure how much he trusted the demon, but he couldn't find any loopholes in her oath.

"I'm giving you a chance," he said finally. "But if it turns out that you've lied, then I'll make you wish for death before I grant it." The demon nodded politely, before leaning back and putting her feet on the table, looking bored.

"Are you alright, William?" Wynne asked when Will came back out from the hole.

"I'm immensely confused." Will said. "The demon basically backed down, swore a magical oath that she would remove the barriers and not do anything else to hinder us. Said she wasn't sure that she could beat me, and really wanted to live. What should I do?" Wynne studied him for a moment.

"Well, normally I wouldn't suggest trusting a demon, but… Do you remember the exact words of her oath?" Will nodded and repeated them. "I'm with you, I can't see any loophole. In that case, her hands are truly tied. If one were to take a strict approach to the oath, it is possible she could be forced to allow you to kill her." Both Zelda and Will looked confused, and Wynne explained. "She said she would 'refuse to in any way impede your progress.' Technically, you could argue that killing her is necessary, and she might have to let you. Unlikely, but possible." Wynne sighed. "There are some demons who do odd things like this. Unfortunately, they find some way to lie about as often as they are honest. My gut says that this is a genuine surrender, but one can never be entirely certain."

"I guess we should just leave, then." Will said slowly. Zelda looked like she was about to argue, but decided against it. The team walked quickly back to the portal font, and checked the barriers. Indeed, they were both down.

"Let's go get Leliana, then finish up this area. Then we can go kill Sloth and get out of here."

* * *

><p>Will glanced around the almost Chantry. He really should have expected this. He saw Leliana and a Revered mother praying at the front.<p>

"Let's get this over with." Will said quietly. He walked carefully towards the pair, reviewing everything he knew about Leliana as he went. It wasn't much, but he had several ideas that might work. "Excuse me?"

Leliana looked up, surprised. The demon looked less surprised, and more annoyed.

"Can I help you, sir?" Leliana asked, standing swiftly.

"Please, do not disturb the girl's meditation." the demon said firmly. "She needs time for contemplation." She glanced at Leliana. "Please, go back to your prayers." Leliana looked like she was about to kneel again, but Will spoke up.

"Leliana, don't you remember leaving the Chantry?" Leliana looked confused.

"Leave the Chantry? I… How do you know my name, anyways? We've never met."

Will recognized that he could have gone about this better, but he was tired and frustrated. He had never liked the Fade, and there were more important things to be done. "We do know each other, Leliana. You told me about your rather unique view of the Maker, remember. How you believe he's still here, still involved in the world, still loves us." Leliana gasped, covering her mouth as she stared at him. "Don't you remember your vision, the darkness and the flames? Remember that?"

"How…?" Leliana blinked rapidly, unable to believe Will's words. The demon stepped in quickly.

"Leliana, we talked about your 'vision.' We decided it was nothing more than a coincided." Leliana still seemed to be wavering, so Will quickly pushed his advantage.

"The Revered Mother Qorra I met didn't say that. She trusted Leliana's judgment, whether to release a prisoner to aid the Grey Wardens on her word, or to allow her to leave to pursue her vision." The demon glowered at Will furiously, but didn't realize that Leliana had glanced at her.

"Revered Mother?" Leliana said slowly, a look of confusion spreading across her face. "Why…"

"Leliana, go to the dormitories. I must deal with these people," the demon said firmly. Leliana didn't move.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. I have too many questions. This man knows things I have not discussed with anyone but you. How? I must know this." The demon glowered at her.

"Very well. I can see deception is getting nowhere." The demon shifted into the form of a shade. "This ends now!"

"Indeed it does." Will said coldly, as a Stone Fist flew from the shadows where Wynne had been hiding, knocking the demon down. Leliana screamed and stumbled away, staring in horror at the battle brewing before her. Will cursed quietly, he had forgotten one of the most basic lessons of dream breaking; if the victim was forced out of the dream prematurely, the chaos and confusion would frighten and confused them. Channeling his anger, he burned the shade to a crisp with a torrent of fire.

"Holy Maker!" Leliana cried, pressing herself against a pillar. "She… You…" Will carefully approached her, dropping his staff.

"Calm down, Leliana, calm down." He tried to make his voice gentle and non-threatening. "I'm sorry about this, I shouldn't have rushed it. Just take deep breaths, try to stay calm." Leliana took several gasping breaths, before finally starting to settle down.

"I… I do remember you, William," she whispered. "You, you agreed to let me help you. The Tower, Redcliffe." Will nodded gently. "I… how did I not see what had happened?"

"Demons are masters of confusion and misdirection." Zelda said gently, circling around sot that she could stand beside Will rather than come up behind Leliana and frighten her more. "They did the same thing to me."

"Sir Zelda?" Leliana said quietly, then glanced over their shoulders and saw Wynne. "You're all fine?"

"Yes, we are. You're going to be fine, too." Wynne said, carefully taking a few steps closer to Leliana and holding out her hand. "Come, you'll feel better if you get out of here." Leliana nodded slowly, taking Wynne's hand.

"Let's go." Will nodded, and led the way back to the font.

"Just one more barrier to bring down." Zelda said happily. Will nodded and created the portal back to the Darkspawn lair.

"Well, here's the other locked door." He looked around, trying to find another mouse hole so that he could get to the other side. He was interrupted, however, by a click. Turning, he saw Leliana step away from the door, which swung open. "I could have sworn that was locked…"

"It was." Leliana said calmly, putting away a pair of small instruments. "I picked the lock." Everyone stared at her.

"How does one go about picking locks in the Fade?" Zelda asked incredulously. Leliana smiled.

"The same way you do it in the real world." Will decided it was best to just not question her, and move on.

A cluster of Darkspawn greeted them in the next room, but were quickly eliminated.

"So, this is what you fight for a living, Warden." Zelda said, nudging a Genlock with the toe of her boot. Will nodded.

"Ugly buggers, aren't they?" he said cheerfully, before moving on. There was another locked door. "Leliana?"

"On it." After a moment, Leliana stood up. "Simple!" Will rolled his eyes slightly, but pushed on. He was met with the sight of an Ogre.

"Get back! Spread out!" he shouted, tossing a fireball at the beast and slamming the door shut. It wasn't long before the massive demon/ogre smashed its way through the door, only to be met by a wave of arrows and magic. It rushed Will, whose attacks were the most painful. Zelda carefully crept up on it as it rushed Will heedlessly. Will dodged its rush, causing it to stumble. Zelda charged forward, and was able to hamstring the ogre before being kicked away. Still, the demon was disabled, and Leliana was able to take the time to carefully aim for the eyes, blinding the monster. Eventually, the team overwhelmed its defenses and killed it.

"Let's end this." Will said coldly, bringing up the map in the next room. Everyone else nodded, and followed Will through the portal into the inner sanctum.

* * *

><p>The Sloth Demon was standing patiently in the center of an arena. It had shed the form of an Abomination, now standing tall as an Arcane Horror. Almost as dangerous as the fearsome Revenants, these possessed mage corpses wielded as much, if not more, power than they had in life. That Sloth was able to stand in this form was troubling.<p>

"What have we here?" he asked in amusement. "Rebellious minions? Escaped slaves?" Will refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer, instead drawing his staff. Sloth chuckled. "Well, playtime is over. You should all go back now."

"In your dreams, void spawn!" Will called, slamming his staff into the dirt for emphasis. The demon simply laughed.

"My, my, you do have some gall!" it chuckled. "I made you happy. I offered you peace, companionship, anything you wanted. What more could you want?"

"Freedom." Zelda said simply. "Freedom from your corruption and evil." The demon scoffed.

"Evil? Me? I'm hurt, so very hurt." It shook its head. "If you go back, I'll be sure to do much better. I'll make your lives wonderful." Will laughed coldly.

"No, demon. We have come to end you, so we can save all the people who are depending on us in the real world. You cannot stop us."

"You wish to battle me?" the demon asked, fury leaking into its voice. "Very well, you will learn to bow to your betters!" With that declaration, the demon's form glowed and grew. After a moment, a massive ogre stood where the Horror had stood before.

"Same plan, spread out." Will said coldly. The demon rushed Will, who hit it with a firebolt and started running. The demon spent a few seconds chasing him, before gesturing. The sand in front of Will rose and reformed into a wall. Will turned to glare at the demon bearing down on him, ignoring the countless arrows and bolts of magic that were hitting it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm smarter than poor Uthkiel." Sloth said tauntingly, bringing his hand back to grab Will. The mage simply grinned, before directing a wave of fire towards the demon's eyes. Sloth simply closed them and made his swing. He was surprised to realize that he hadn't hit anything. He squinted, and couldn't see where the little annoyance had gone. He turned around, confused, but couldn't see the mage. Shrugging, he continued on towards the next mage. Suddenly, he felt flames burn his back, and he turned to see the mage dashing along the wall.

Zelda, meanwhile, was coming up behind Sloth to hamstring him like she had done to Uthkiel. The demon calmly kicked out, trying to knock her over, but she had expected the blow and dodged. Sloth roared as the sword bit into its vulnerable tendons. Lashing out, it smashed the young templar away from him, but, like his minion, his wounded leg would no longer support him. It huffed, and started to glow again.

"Oh, is being big and intimidating not working for you?" Will called tauntingly. He backed off slightly as Sloth took on the form of a Rage demon, roaring. "Idiot" he muttered, lashing out with a blast of ice. The fireballs that Sloth threw were either dodged or deflected, and any time he tried to close the distance and strike them directly, they simply ran away and let the others attack. Eventually, Sloth's flames started dimming, and finally were extinguished. However, this did not seem to kill Sloth, but left him as a Shade. He had become slightly faster in this form, but still could not keep up with Leliana, and now Will and Wynne were able to stand against him directly.

"ENOUGH!" Sloth roared as he assumed his Arcane Horror form once more. "It seems you are stronger than I anticipated. Very well, now you will know true power!" He reached out his hand and clenched his fist. Leliana screamed as telekinetic fingers wrapped around her and started crushing her. Will, however, quickly cast a Force Field, canceling out the effects of the Crushing Prison. He then tried to respond with his own Crushing Prison, which was less effective, as Sloth shrugged it off himself. However, it gave Zelda time to get close and start draining his mana with Righteous Strikes.

With a hiss of rage, Sloth smacked Zelda away from him, before beginning to wave his hands before him, chanting in a cursed language. The temperature of the arena dropped rapidly, and snow started falling. Being dead, the demon's form would be unaffected by the coming blizzard.

Wynne's Stone Fist, however, disrupted the demon's casting, and it was blinded a second later by a pair of arrows to the eye courtesy of Leliana. Hissing and lashing out, the Horror tried to freeze Will, but he was able to warm the air around him with a burst of fire, counteracting the spell's effect. Zelda recovered from the blow she had been dealt, and took a running jump. Though her armor weighed her down some, she was able to get high enough to deal a vicious blow to the demon's skull, shattering it. With a final, keening cry, the Lord Sloth fell, dead.

"You did it!" a voice called. Will spun around to see Vereveel standing in the corner, with Niall leaning against her.

"Release him, demon!" Zelda called, dropping into a battle crouch. The Desire demon complied, gently laying the injured mage down before joining the others in the center.

"So." Will said slowly. "Is this the part where you betray us?" Vereveel laughed.

"Really, you can be quite silly. If I was going to betray you, would I really come over her, where the good Templar can start hitting me, and tell you that I was going to?" she chuckled. "No, I have no interest in betraying you. I just thought I'd bring your friend over." She frowned slightly. "He's in a bad way, Sloth has been draining him for quite some time. It's actually a minor miracle he's still alive at all."

"Who is this?" Leliana asked warily, pointing her bow at the demon, though she didn't have the arrow drawn back yet.

"She was one of the demon lords guarding Sloth." Will said calmly, keeping a wary eye on the demon. "She decided to jump ship when she realized that we could win." He cocked his head slightly. "Why did you bring Niall, anyways. That was never part of your oath." She shrugged.

"There's so little of him left, that there was no point in draining him. I… actually felt a bit bad for him. No one deserves to die alone, and he wouldn't accept my companionship, so I brought him over." She glanced around at the stunned looks on everyone's faces. "What? I'm a demon, yes. That doesn't mean I always have to act like _him_!" she gestured at Sloth's fading body. "Oh, and that reminds me." She viciously kicked his corpse. "That's for what you did when you conscripted me, you bastard." She looked around. "Well, you'll be leaving soon. I guess I should head off, find someplace to stay. Maybe we'll meet again. Unless you want… something from me?" She smiled seductively at Will, who snorted.

"No way. Please leave before I'm tempted to hurt you." She sighed.

"Fine, fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted." With that, she vanished.

Wynne quickly rushed over to Niall. "The demon was right," she said sadly. "I'm sorry, Niall."

"Hey, don't be," he said weakly. "I got myself into this mess. At least I know you four will have a chance to save the Circle." He started coughing, his face pale. "When you get out, be sure to take the Litany from my body. It'll protect you from Uldred and the other blood mages."

"Thank you, Niall." Will said quietly, taking the dying mage's hand. He got a gentle squeeze.

"No, thank you, William. I was never meant to save the Circle. I… wonder if Mother would be proud of what I did?" Will smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure she would be. You did everything you could, held on so long." Niall chuckled.

"Goodbye, everyone." With that, he slowly laid his head back and died. The dream world then started fading.

* * *

><p>Alistair glanced at the door leading into the tower for what felt like the thousandth time. A part of him was cursing him for abandoning William and Leliana to die a lonely death in that damn place. The other part of him was sadly admitting that there was nothing he could have done. William was so much more powerful than he was, if he couldn't save the Tower, then Alistair would probably just get in the way.<p>

"I am sorry about all this." The Knight Commander sat down on the bench next to Alistair with a sigh. "If there was any other way, I would have taken it." He leaned back. "I've been thinking, Warden. After… after this business comes to its inevitable conclusion, the Templar of Ferelden won't have anything to do for a while. We would be able to aid you in your battle against the Blight. It would only be right, seeing as it was our complacency that robbed you of your rightful allies." Alistair glanced at the older man, before nodding.

"I would greatly appreciate that, Knight Commander." He sighed, glancing at the door again. The Knight Commander followed his eyes

"William was always an impulsive boy." The Knight Commander said sadly. "Brilliant, resourceful, but quick to action. It's a bad combination. He probably thinks he really can save the Circle. Still, I wish I had been able to talk him out of it."

"Yeah. So do I." Alistair said, shaking his head. The two sat in silence for a moment, before the front door to Kinloch Hold opened. Everyone glanced up from what they had been doing, watching an imposing figure in Templar armor walked across the threshold.

"Knight Commander Greagoir." The newcomer nodded to Knight Commander Greagoir, who returned the gesture. "The Right of Annulment has arrived, and the reinforcements you requested are making their way across the lake as we speak. We stand ready to cleanse this place." Everyone nodded sadly.

"Knight Commander." Alistair spoke up. "I… I was training as a Templar before I was recruited into the Wardens. Since you've offered to help me, I should really help you." The older man stared at Alistair for a moment, before nodding.

"If that is your wish, Warden." He then turned to speak to the arriving forces. About twenty minutes later, enough of the force had arrived that the Knight Commander decided it was time to begin the Annulment.

"Men!" he called to the assembled Templar. "We have a grim duty today. When each of us took our final oaths, we swore to do whatever it took to defend this world, the Maker's world, from mages and the demons who seek to use them to destroy everything." He started pacing. "The demons have made major gains here, and we are the fist that will drive them back into the Fade where they belong!" A cheer rose from the assembled warriors, and Alistair couldn't help but notice that some of them looked… eager, while others looked sad or apprehensive. "Let us not take pleasure in what must be done, but pride in our willingness to sacrifice to keep the world safe. Come, let us go and discharge our duty. In Andraste's name!" There was an affirmative roar, and the Templar started putting on their helmets and drawing their weapons. Alistair had been given a set of Templar armor, and he sadly followed their lead.

The doors were pushed open, and the Annulment began.

(Codex: Spirit Healer)

Not all things to come from the Fade are harmful. While maleficarum summon and control demons from the Fade, some mages within the Circle of Magi seek to summon spirits that do not feed on the darker side of the human psyche. These are benign spirits of fortitude, compassion and hope that rarely seek to cross the Veil into our world and can be persuaded to protect and restore life rather than destroy it. The people of Thedas may think of all spirits as malevolent entities, but as the spirit healers propose, there is much good to be done alongside the Maker's first children.

While healing spells do exist, spirit healers are well-known for taking healing and restoration far beyond a standard mage's capabilities. In effect, the spirit healer summons a benevolent spirit through the veil and that spirit uses its abilities on the mage's behalf. Thus, spirit healers are highly desired in the ranks of the Circle.

Becoming a spirit healer, however, is no simple matter. To gain the services of such benevolent and righteous beings requires that the mage earn their trust. Often this requires a series of trials to prove that the mage's goals are as noble as the spirit demands, though some mages have claimed to command the compliance of such spirits through sheer force of charisma. Some spirit mages even claim they did not choose their calling; instead, a powerful spirit chose them and led them into lives of service and ordeal.

It should also be noted that the calling of a spirit healer is a dangerous one. The summoning of spirits through the Veil inevitably draws demons to the mage, sometimes very powerful ones. More than one tale exists of a spirit healer being fooled into believing a demon to be a spirit and inadvertently bringing them across the Veil... or being tricked into letting down their guard and possessed. As such, once a mage becomes a spirit healer they must heighten their vigilance for the remainder of their lives. It is a calling that not all will gladly suffer.

_AN:_ What a chapter. I won't be able to update this for a while, but look for something from me on or around Christmas. You'll notice I made a lot of changes. I always found it stupid that Wynne, an experience Spirit Healer, was unable to figure out that she was in the Fade. I also thought it was silly that the various party members disappeared as soon as you saved them. Other than that, there were simply stylistic changes. Things really get interesting next chapter. ;) Adios.


	13. Mage's Wrath, Demon's Due

Reviewer Response:

Agent 94: All I can say about Zelda is that I have it all planned out, and it will be explained at a later date, as will Solona's death (just out of curiosity, what did you mean by I "slapped" that revelation?). As for the rest, thank you for your continued support. It means a lot to me.

Chapter 12: Mage's Wrath, Demon's Due

Will pushed himself to his feet, blinking. Looking around, he watched his companions getting up as well, some with more difficulty than others. He also saw the remains of the Abomination, which had deflated slightly with the death of the demon. He wondered briefly who the mage had been, whether any tiny shred of them had remained, been freed as Sloth died. He shook his head. There were more important things to worry about. He walked to the body he recognized as Niall's, his legs steadying with each step he took. The fallen mage's face looked peaceful, and Will couldn't help but check for a pulse. There was nothing.

"Damnation." he muttered. Sighing, he started searching through Niall's pockets, looking for the Litany of Adralla. After a few moments, he found a roll of parchment. He studied it for a moment. "This what we're looking for?" he asked Wynne, handing it to her.

"Yes, this is the Litany." She rolled it up carefully and put it in one of her pockets. "We must hurry, we have lost valuable time here." Everyone nodded, and Zelda once more took the lead as they left the room.

"What's that noise?" Leliana asked as they exited the next stairwell. Will heard it too, a strange hissing. Wynne listened for a moment, before nodding.

"It seems the dragonlings survived." Will and Leliana stared at her for a moment. She shrugged. "Remember, the Circle is a place of learning. With the unexpected return of dragons to Thedas, the Circle became interested in studying them. We were able to capture a few eggs, and hatched them." She smiled ruefully at the stunned expressions that remained on Will and Leliana's faces. "Of course, there was a great deal of security. Even a young dragon is dangerous, especially if provoked." Zelda, meanwhile, was pushing open the next door. She suddenly cursed, drawing back. A scaly face had pushed its way through the door, glaring around. Behind it, Will could see four more dragonlings, each about the size of a mabari, looking up from the corpses of several abominations.

"A great deal of security, huh?" Will said sardonically, pulling his staff out. With a hiss, the first dragonling dashed forward, flame spurting from its mouth in fitful bursts. Zelda kicked it back, drawing her sword. Will, meanwhile, lashed out with a blast of ice, hoping that the same theory of cold harming creatures of flame applied to dragons. It seemed it did, as one of the other dragonlings screeched and stumbled. The rest, however, continued forward. Zelda's sword met the neck of her current opponent, carving a groove. The dragon still lived, however, and leapt upon the Templar, trying to knock her to the ground. She was able to brace herself and throw the oversized lizard away with her shield. Leliana, meanwhile, had drawn an arrow back and carefully aimed for one of the charging beasts, waiting for it to open its mouth. After a moment, it complied, and she coolly put an arrow through it, destroying its throat. It fell, gurgling and thrashing.

Wynne had directed her attention to the remaining two chargers. A Glyph of Paralysis stopped on in its tracks, and the other was met with a Stone Fist to the snout, shattering its skull. Will continued to freeze the dragonling he had targeted, eventually finishing with an Arcane Bolt. Zelda's sword was deflected a few more times by the dragonling's scales, but she eventually struck a previous wound and severed the creature's spine, killing it. The paralyzed dragon was soon finished off.

"If and when the Circle returns to normal," Will said. "Please ensure that everyone understands that keeping dragons around, even little ones, is a _very bad idea_." Wynne nodded. Zelda glanced through the door, before nodding that the way was clear.

Once again, Will noted the lack of enemies. Either more mages had survived, and killed of most of the abominations, or something was very wrong. Will couldn't help but feel that the latter was the more likely outcome.

"We're almost to the Harrowing Chamber." Zelda said quietly. "That's the top of the Tower." Everyone nodded, and Zelda pushed the last door before the stairs open. Will heard a quiet noise from within, and it took him a moment to realize that it was a voice, murmuring in a way that indicated that the speaker was praying.

Dozens of bodies were piled up around the room, mostly Templar. However, there was a break in these grisly decorations, marked by a shimmering wall of purple light. Within this magical cage, a single Templar knelt, muttering furiously to himself. He glanced up at the sound of the group's entrance.

"This trick again?" he hissed furiously, glaring. "I know what you really are, demons. It won't work. I will stay strong!" He bowed his head again. Will recognized the man, Cullen. He had always considered the young Templar to be one of the most rational and moderate of the lot, taking no pleasure in imprisoning mages. For this reason, Will found him infinitely more tolerable than the rest. However, the calm man Will remembered was very different from the angry, desperate Templar currently kneeling in the cage.

"Cullen?" Zelda whispered, crouching down just outside the barrier. "It's me, Zelda. You're safe now. It's almost over." Cullen looked up, surprised, before narrowing his eyes again.

"I will not fall for your tricks! Sir Zelda is dead, as is everyone else! If any part of you has any mercy, demon, then you will cease this pointless game of yours!" Zelda jerked back slightly, looking confused. Wynne sighed.

"The poor boy is delirious. He's been surrounded by demons so long, he's been forced to question everything he sees, lest it be a trick." She stepped forward, pressing her hand carefully against the barrier, obviously trying to break it. "It's no good, the cage is too strong." She then turned her attention to Cullen. "Sir Zelda's right. This is no trick, even though you probably won't believe me. We are here to help." Cullen looked up again.

"Just go away! I will not break! I will not accept any of your deals! Now BEGONE!" He closed his eyes briefly, before opening them. "Still here? But that's always worked before!" Will rolled his eyes.

"That's because we're not demons. We're real." Cullen glared at him.

"Well forgive me for being cautious!" he snarled. "You haven't been surrounded by b-blood mages, who's wicked fingers snake into your mind and corrupt your thoughts." He suddenly seemed on the verge of tears. "I watched the others die. Watched them fall. The luck ones died quickly, the rest were tortured. I'm the only one left, and only because it seems they've grown bored with tormenting me." He stood shakily. "How did you get in? What has happened?" He suddenly looked hopefully. "Has the Annulment come? Are all the demons and blood mages going to be killed?" Will studied him warily.

"We're hoping that won't be necessary." Wynne said gently. "Where are the other mages who fought against Uldred? Where is First Enchanter Irving?" Cullen looked confused.

"They were up in the Harrowing Chamber, but it doesn't matter. Uldred and his blood mages are with them. I heard the screams, there is nothing left to save." He stepped forward, pressing himself against the barrier. "You have to end this! Kill everything up there, no matter what form it takes! They're all corrupted!" Will glared at him.

"Sir Cullen, please be rational." Wynne said. "It might not be to late. The Circle can still be saved, I'm sure of it." He glowered at her.

"You're wrong!" he shouted. "There is no hope. The only way to ensure this horror is ended is to burn a path of destruction through the Tower. Everything that has even the slightest chance of being corrupted must be destroyed!"

"Listen to yourself." Will growled. "Kill everything. That's the kind of thing demons say. Wasn't it you who once said that the duty of a Templar was to be a guardian, not a butcher?"

"I was naive, back then." Cullen hissed. "Unwilling to see the painful truth. I thought that magic could be handled peacefully, that we could all coexist!" He gestured at the bodies. "The mages don't believe we can coexist! They want nothing more than the destruction or enslavement of everything that is not them! We can show them no more mercy than they show us!"

"You're wrong, Cullen." Zelda said coldly. "The crimes of the few must not cloud our judgment. There are still innocent mages in the Tower. Down below us, there are children, healers, and good people. Would you have them all killed too?" Cullen nodded firmly.

"Mages are not like you and I, Zelda." He slammed his fist against the barrier. "They can _never_ be trusted, never be given the slightest leeway. We can see the results of our relaxed vigil piled around us. The blood of our brothers and sisters stains these stones because we were too trusting." He closed his eyes. "The only mage that can ever be trusted is a dead one!"

Will's fists clenched, and he suddenly wished that the barrier was not in place, so he could throttle the maniac that stood before him. Leliana blinked, staring at Cullen in horror. Wynne looked wary. Zelda, however, simply shook her head sadly.

"Can't you see the contradictions, Cullen?" she said quietly. "You said yourself that mages only wanted destruction. But what of the time you tripped, breaking your leg. Had a mage not healed you, you would have likely spent weeks recovering. That doesn't look like destruction to me." She gestured at Will and Wynne. "These are good mages. They are in here, risking their lives to end this. There are others. I would have died during the uprising if Senior Enchanter Leorah hadn't come to my aid." Cullen stared at her. "Besides, as you are now, you are little better than you accuse them of being. You wish for only their destruction."

"That is because they are mages!" Cullen shouted. "They are cursed by the Maker! They threaten to doom this world simply by existing!" Zelda sighed again.

"Cullen, you're tired and angry and distraught. I'm sure that, given some time, you'll feel better. Please, for your sake, get some sleep. When you wake up, things will be better." She stood, nodding for the others to follow her up the stairs.

"Damn you mages! What vile spell have you put on her?" Cullen shouted at Will and Wynne. The Senior Enchanter ignored him, but Will couldn't help but respond.

"I wasn't even here when this whole mess started. How can you blame me? And Senior Enchanter Wynne has always been pro-Chantry; any idiot should be able to see that. What next, are you going to start saying that Greagoir is secretly a blood mage and working behind the scenes to bring down the Chantry? Because that's the next logical step in your illogical series of accusations." With that, he turned to follow Zelda, listening to Cullen's furious curses in the background.

The four warriors walked up the final set of stairs, confident that they could handle whatever might be lurking up there.

"Oh sod…" Will whispered as he came to a halt at the top of the stairs.

"Well." Leliana said in a falsely cheery voice as dozens abominations turned their heads in unison to look at the intruders. "I guess we found the enemy."

Laughter filled the room as one of the few non-deformed people in the room studied the group. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Uldred stepped forward, cocking his head slightly. "Wynne, it's been too long. I was afraid you might have gotten hurt, what with all the unpleasantness going around. And William Surana! After the _tragedy_ at Ostagar, I had thought you were finally gone. I guess it was not to be, it seems the legends of how tenacious Grey Wardens are has some merit."

Will looked past Uldred at the cluster of figures behind him. He recognized First Enchanter Irving's beard immediately. There were about four others, including two Senior Enchanters and a few mages. They were all staring at Will with a mixture of shock and horror.

"Run!" Irving croaked out. "Save yourselves!" Uldred hissed, gesturing furiously behind him, knocking Irving to the ground with a blast of magic.

"That's enough out of you, Irving. I'm in charge now." His voice returned to the oily tone he had used previously. "Now where were we? Oh yes, I was just wondering what you thought you were doing here." He raised his eyebrow.

Will's mind, meanwhile, was racing. It would be absolute suicide to fight that many abominations, especially supported by Uldred. Realistically, there was nothing he could do. But Will couldn't help but feel that there was something he was missing.

"I could ask a similar question of you, Uldred." he called, stalling for time. "Why are you doing this?" The man laughed.

"Oh what an innocent question, William! _Why am I doing this?_ I'll tell you." His face adopted a hungry look. "The mage is merely the larval form of something greater, something far more interesting. The demons came into being long before us. They wield knowledge far beyond mortal understanding. Surely it stands to reason that they can do far more with our power than our limited, feeble intellects can manage." Will snorted.

"These are the beings who put trees upside-down. Even a child can tell you trees don't do that!" He looked over the mages; all five were bound and exhausted. Most had their hands behind their back, but one set was bound in front. With a jerk, Will recognized this mage as Anders.

"That is simply because they exist in a world where that sort of thing is natural." Uldred shot back. "But enough silly prattle. I almost fell into the horrible cliché of monologing. I'll cut strait to the point." His eyes stared at Will, filled with madness. "Your raw potential is all but unmatched, William Surana. With the strength and experience of a powerful demon behind it, you would be able to smash apart the pitiful Templar who are surely massing below us."

Will took a half step forward, swinging his body so that one hand was out of sight. This hand started swiftly moving. "Let's consider, for a moment, that I take this offer." He heard several gasps behind him, but ignored them. "Don't the demon's normally destroy the will of the mage they possess. I'd rather not cease to exist." Uldred looked interested.

"There are always exceptions." Uldred said smoothly. "For example, I am still here. My demon and I act as partners, rather than master and servant. Simply show that you are a better ally than a servant, and they will respect you." Will raised one eyebrow delicately.

"Are you sure about that? Or does the demon merely make you think that? Or is there no Uldred at all, simply a demon? Questions, questions." 'Come on, Anders!' he thought fiercely, studying the other mage out of the corner of his eye. He looked as shocked as anyone else in the room, before glancing at Will's hand.

Uldred laughed. "So cautious, this one!" He turned to Irving. "You did a good job on him, old boy!" Still snickering, he turned back to Will. "To answer your unasked question, no, I do not have any proof. However, look around you!" He opened his arms. "I never though of you as being stupid. Surely you realize that, if you fight, you are doomed to fail. Then I will have no choice but to have your will destroyed. At least if you surrender, you have a chance!"

Anders' eyes widened, and he nodded to Will.

"I'd rather die, you sick son of a bitch." Will said coldly. "And I'm sure that each and every mage behind you feels the same." He brought his hand up, an Arcane Bolt glowing. "Forgive me, all. This is for your own good." With that, he threw the bolt.

Anders jumped to his feet, starting to speak rapidly. He spread his hands, which were actually cuffed rather than tied. The Arcane Bolt, more of a blade of force than an arrow, sliced through the chain. He finished his spell, rapidly drawing a glyph of Repulsion in the center of the abomination horde. Will, meanwhile, had thrown a quick Force Field at the surprised Uldred.

"Drop a Paralysis on the Repulsion!" he shouted at Wynne, who gasped in understanding. She obliged, and even as the abominations started charging, the two glyphs finished.

The resulting combination exploded outwards as the paralyzing energies were expelled from the glyph of Repulsion, dragging much of its energy along. All but three of the abominations were frozen in place, and those three were blasted by a fireball.

"Grab everyone and run!" Will cried, reaching out to telekinetically drag the captives towards him. They arrived in a heap, but Anders got up as quickly as he could. The others, not having the aid of their hands, had to be dragged to their feet. Zelda was supporting the two remaining Senior Enchanters, while Will and Wynne grabbed Irving, and Leliana was left with a young girl who couldn't be more than sixteen. The whole group swiftly hobbled down the stairs, adrenalin driving them onwards.

"What's going on?" Cullen shouted as they reached the bottom of the steps. Will ignored him, but Zelda took a moment to answer.

"Sorry, Cullen. Nothing we can do for you. Be back later." she gasped out; still half carrying two badly battered mages. Anders, bringing up the rear, slammed the door shut before grabbing a chair in one corner of the hall and jamming it under the doorknob. Will nodded; any advantage they could gain over the demons was a welcome on. The doors of the Circle were sturdy things, it would take even abominations a bit of time to break through them.

"How?" Irving muttered. "How did you know what to do?" Will glanced at him.

"Anders, myself, and several other young mages invented a sign language code years ago. I used that to tell him to drop the Repulsion, and where approximately to put the chain." He glanced back; Ander's was having a bit of trouble keeping up while sabotaging the doors. "Can you keep him going, Wynne?" She nodded, and he slipped back. "Get going, Anders! I'll deal with this." The other mage nodded.

"Thanks, and it's good to see you, Will." Will nodded, before gently pushing Anders onwards.

They continued their flight through the tower, and Will resorted to increasingly desperate measures to stall the horde. Locks were melted into place, ice was put on the stairs, and he even set a blaze in one doorway with a pile of desks. Still, he could hear the abominations roaring.

However, things went well until they reached the Great Hall. There, they ran into Senior Enchanter Leorah's group, who were busy fleeing up the tower.

"Where are you going?" Will cried. "The demons are coming!" Leorah gasped, staring at him.

"No… The Templar are coming upwards. We… We're trapped." Will swore viciously. Of all the miserable timing…

"No, this is great! Didn't you say that the Knight Commander would call off the Annulment if the First Enchanter was saved? We have him right here!" Will cursed again. He hated having to rely on the mercy of the Templar, but it was a better chance than staying and waiting for the demons to catch up. He glanced back as everyone turned and started heading downwards again. He heard the youngest ask why everyone had turned around, and were being shushed by the older mages who, in some cases, were actually carrying them. He could only pray to the Maker or any other deity that the Knight Commander actually decided to fulfill his end of the bargain.

* * *

><p>Greagoir pushed open the next door. They had still found no resistance, only bodies. He was still wondering about what had happened in the Alchemy lab, it seemed as if the area had been only recently deserted. But that was impossible; there was no way anyone could have realized that the Templar were coming without him knowing about it. He gestured a pair of Hunters in. More lightly armored than the standard Templar, Hunters excelled at stealth and ambushes. They swiftly searched the room, before announcing that there was nothing to be found. Greagoir wondered what was going on. Suddenly, he heard sounds from the next room. Gesturing for his men to form up, he waited for the abominations to burst through.<p>

He was surprised, however, to see a Templar, supporting First Enchanter Irving. Behind them, William stepped through, glancing back. From the babble issuing from the room, there must have been dozens of mages behind them.

"What the?" he whispered, his jaw dropping open. There was no way that this was true… William glared at him, seeming to dare him to do his duty.

"Greagoir, please." Irving said tiredly. "You have to help us. The abominations are coming, and we will never defeat them without your Templar's assistance. We can discuss what happens afterwards later, but now, we must face our true enemy."

The Templar all looked to Greagoir for guidance. He remembered his speech to them, that there could be no mercy. However, he also remembered his promise to William, a promise he never thought he would get the chance to keep. Slowly, other mages were filing into the room, and Greagoir was sickened to see children, some as young as six. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! There were supposed to be no survivors, simply demons to be exterminated!

"Well, _Knight Commander_?" William said coldly. The older mages were forming a wall between the Templar and their younger charges. He saw the same fear in each of their eyes, fear that the Templar were about to strike.

"Knight Commander, what should we do?" Knight Capitan Godric asked quietly, staring at the mages. The cool, rational part of Greagoir's mind was telling him that the safest coarse of action would be to kill the mages, then deal with the abominations if or when they came. However, his eyes met William's cold orbs. He saw the mistrust, the dislike, and underneath all that, the fear. He glanced at Irving, who was clutching his side, obviously injured. Could he really condemn them to death, simply for being potential enemies?

'Damn it, Greagoir, you gave your word!' a voice whispered fiercely in the back of his mind. He sighed. "We'll fight the demons now, we all know that they are the enemy. However, not one mage goes anywhere near an exit until I say so."

"Then let us make ready." The Templar who had come with the mages said. Nodding, Greagoir gestured his men forward, and gaps opened to allow the young and injured mages through. Only eleven mages stood ready to fight, but Greagoir knew from long experience that even that many would be a devastating show of force. With his Templar providing a barrier, no army of abominations would be able to overcome them.

They did not have long to wait, as the door splintered under the force of the abominations' fists. They started pouring through, only to be met by arrows and magic. Still, they pushed on, and the Templar moved to engage.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light near the door, and a massive beast stood in the middle of the horde. It looked almost like a Darkspawn Ogre, only bigger, and with blades sprouting from its forearms. Several eyes, black as pitch, surveyed the melee before it. It then raised its hand, and a bolt of ice flew into the Templar, freezing several in place.

"A Pride demon!" someone shouted. The most fearsome and dangerous being in the Fade, Pride demons had not only unbelievable power, but were possibly the closest to humans in terms of creativity and temperament. This was because, while sins such as Rage, Hunger, Sloth, and Desire, were partially unconscious, and more importantly could be found in almost all creatures, Pride was almost unique to humanity, and all to conscious a sin.

"Uldred!" William hissed, glancing up from the pair of abominations he had just killed. Greagoir nodded, it made sense that a Pride demon was responsible for the audacious plan that had been hatched here.

"Kill it!" he called, smashing another abomination with his shield before stabbing it. Fortunately, the abominations, though strong, were undisciplined. This gave the Templar the chance to push through them towards their main target. Uldred, however, seemed to have other ideas. More demonic magic flowed from the cursed leader, breaking up clusters of Templar, and another ice bolt smashed into one of the younger mages, killing him. The other mages started retaliating, and waves elemental force and pure magic started battering the massive demon. Several of the older Templar, including Greagoir, joined in with Holy Smites. Roaring, Uldred raised his hand.

Suddenly, three of the mages fell to their knees, unholy lights pouring into them. One cried out in agony, the rest were somehow struck dumb. Greagoir cursed, Uldred must be trying to force demons into the mages. He opened his mouth to order his Templar to strike, but someone else spoke up first. Senior Enchanter Wynne, who was standing near the back, had pulled something from her robes and was shouting over the sounds of the battle. Just as suddenly as they appeared, the demonic light started dispelling, and the mages started climbing to their feet.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that we found the Litany of Adralla?" William asked smugly, creating a blade of fire on his staff so he could force a group of enemies back. Greagoir rolled his eyes, but was forced to admit that maybe he had underestimated the young Warden a bit.

The battle went downhill for the abominations at that point. About a minute later, Uldred tried to possess Wynne, but the attack inexplicitly failed, and suddenly Uldred found himself almost alone. Roaring, he fell back under the continued assault, bumping into the doorframe. He seemed to curse in a demonic tongue, forcing himself back through the door and retreated down the corridor.

"We can't let him get away, there are enough corpses up there to make another attack!" William called, sprinting forward. However, when he stepped through the door himself, a wall of purple light rose, trapping him alone with an angry Pride demon.

"Get that barrier down _now_!" Greagoir shouted, directing a Dispel at it, which had no effect. Cursing under his breath, he watched Uldred turn to sneer at William, advancing on the young mage. The other Templar and mages started battering the barrier, but Greagoir couldn't help but fear that they wouldn't get it down in time.

* * *

><p>Will, meanwhile, was gripping his staff tightly. He knew that, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't stand a chance against a Pride demon. However, Uldred had been hammered by the Templar and the mages, and had to use energy to hold the barrier in place. Uldred, however, seemed to read his mind.<p>

"Do not think you can win, Elf." Will's eyebrows shot up.

"Mouse, is that you?" he asked. The demon laughed, continuing to stomp towards him.

"Yes, it is I." He glowered at Will. "Do you truly think I would be satisfied as I was, only allowed to devour the stupid? No, I was not. Nor was Uldred. He was a greater mage than Irving ever was, but was passed over for First Enchanter simply because he wasn't willing to constantly lick the boots of the Templar!" He dashed forward, swinging his fist at Will. The young elf dodged, lashing out with a wave of fire. Uldred ignored it, brining his blades back towards Will. Off balance, the elf could only create a shield, but was batted across the corridor and collided painfully with the wall.

"I'll admit Irving has his flaws." Will growled, standing up. "But at least he doesn't want us all slaughtered, like you seem to." Uldred's entropic blast slid off Will's shield, and he retaliated with an Arcane Bolt. Uldred/Mouse hissed as the attack hit his eye, but he continued on, charging Will again.

"You ruined everything!" the demon roared. "Had you keep your nose out of this, we would have overwhelmed the Templar and Mages separately. You may have won, boy, but you will not live to see your victory!" He reached Will, reaching out to grab him. Will tried to dodge, but the demon was too quick. The fist clenched around him, and though Will was able to form a telekinetic barrier, this defense was rapidly failing. He desperately launched a blast of fire at Uldred's face, forcing the demon to throw him aside. He hit the wall again and felt bones snap. He fell slowly to his knees. Distantly, he heard cries from the other side of the barrier, but nothing seemed to make sense. The only thing that was real was Mouse, who had transformed back into Uldred's form. "You are dead, William Surana." Uldred's face was contorted into an ugly leer. "An though I will soon follow, I can take some pleasure in knowing you'll go first."

Will slowly reached into his pouch, forcing his battered body to move. "Fuck. You. You. Bastard." He raised his hand, showing five uncorked bottles of lyrium, his entire stash.

"Are you mad?" the demon asked, confused. "That much lyrium will tear you apart!" Will smirked, before drinking all five at the same time. Indescribable pain and power flowed through him, and suddenly he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he could kill Uldred with ease.

"You said it yourself, Mouse!" he called tauntingly, standing easily as he healed his wounds. "I'm already dead, so I might as well take you with me, so that no one else has to suffer!"

* * *

><p>Irving, who had rushed forward to the barrier when he heard what was happening, stared in shock. William's eyes were blazing, and a blue fire seemed to radiate off from him. The immense amount of lyrium he had ingested had supercharged his mana pool, and his magic was literally burning him up from the inside.<p>

"_MINE IS THE GLORIOUS FIRE THAT BURNS IN THE HEARTS OF DRAGONS!_" William screamed, and the blue fire turned red, and starting to orbit around him in a swirling tornado. Uldred, realizing what William was about to do, returned to his demon form and tried to throw a blast of ice. This attack, normally so potent, melted within a second. Desperately, the demon started forward.

"_COME FORTH, AND CREATE A BLAZE HOTTER THAN THE SUN ITSELF!_" The flames around William continued to rage, and more appeared on the ground around him, drawing a glyph. Two concentric circles surrounded him, connected by three equidistant domes of fire. These were connected in the inner circle by a triangle, which was then further divided.

"_CREMATE ALL THOSE WHO DARE COURT MY WRATH_!" Uldred tried to push through the flames, but the wind that the magic was kicking up was too strong for him to move very quickly. Still, he reached the edge of the glyph, which was now filled with various symbols, as well as several small flames. He desperately raised his hand, trying to disrupt William's casting.

"_**INFERNO!**_"

The flaming tornado spun faster, driving Uldred back. The demon started forward again, single-mindedly trying to stop William. However, the winds were just too strong, and he was pushed backwards. The glyph lit up, and flames spiraled up from several points to gather above William's head. This ball of pure fire suddenly exploded, before reforming into the shape of a dragon. The fiery beast roared, and then a wave of fire emanated from its mouth, engulfing the entire corridor in a firestorm. Nothing could be seen through the blaze, and little heard over the roar. The one thing that could still be heard was the doomed demon's pain-filled screech.

"Get away from the shield!" Greagoir shouted, and Irving realized that, as soon as Uldred succumbed to the Inferno, that the barrier would go down. Everyone desperately threw themselves backwards, but one Templar wasn't quite fast enough. His shrieks joined Uldred's as the barrier shattered, and he was engulfed in the tongue of fire that shot out the door.

The fire seemed to last for hours, as everyone huddled behind some kind of barrier to deflect the heat. Finally, though, the blaze started to die down. Irving, along with the others, slowly poked their heads out. The ground where the flame had been ejected from the corridor was blackened and cracked, and all that was left of the unfortunate Templar that had been caught was a blob of molten metal. Ash floated through the air.

"William?" one of the Templar called, breaking the silence. Irving didn't recognize the blonde man as he took off his helmet, hurrying to get a look down the corridor. Everyone else followed, glazing through the ruined doorway. The corridor was even more of a mess, having taken the full force of the Inferno. The air was thick with swirling ash, probably the burnt remnants of the demon.

And William.

"No…" the redheaded archer who had been with William whispered, shaking her head in dawning horror. "He can't…" Irving bowed his head, feeling the young woman's pain.

"William gave his life for us." Wynne said sadly. "Uldred might have been defeated, but he would have killed many more had William not… done what he did." She choked slightly. She had always been fond of the boy, considering him one of the best students she had ever had the honor of teaching. That he was gone, so suddenly…

The Templar who had lead the way to the door smashed his fist against the wall, cursing under his breath. Everyone was glancing at each other, and silence reigned. Templar and Mage, young and old, simply stood. Somehow, despite all the death that had preceded this, William's death hit extremely hard. Irving felt his eyes prickle, and blinked several times. He had thought his student dead at Ostagar, his only comfort knowing that the boy would not suffer at the demon's hands. When he had walked through the doors of the Harrowing Chamber, Irving had been terrified, wondering how William could possibly be so foolish as to actually think that he could make a difference. And then he _had_, and for a few minutes, Irving had thought that everything would be all right. And he supposed it would, in a way. Uldred was dead and all, but somehow the cost seemed too high.

Suddenly, one of the other Templar (Irving thought it might have been the one who was with William in the Harrowing Chamber, Sir Zelda), gasped, pointing down the corridor. Everyone turned back to see what she was looking at. The ash was still in the air, but it had started to fall out, and through it they could see a soft glow. As the ash continued to clear, Irving realized what it was.

"William, you magnificent young man…" he whispered to himself, smiling at the Force Field. William must have put it up in that crucial second between the start of the Inferno and when it reached him. Laughter started springing up as others realized what William had done. The Templar tried to go over to him, but jumped back, yelping that the ground was still hot. There was some more laughter at this, before Wynne stepped forward and cast a wave of ice, causing a blast of steam.

The Force Field dissipated, and for a moment it looked like William would be alright. However, he simply fell to his knees before toppling to the side. In the joy of realizing that he hadn't incinerated himself, Irving had forgotten that the young mage had just drunk five bottles of lyrium, and that he was far from out of danger. Wynne rushed to him, propping him up and waving her hand over him.

"What's happening?" the Orlesian girl asked worriedly, bouncing on her feet. Irving sighed, glancing down at the mabari that was sitting nearby, watching William unblinkingly.

"Lyrium is a very dangerous substance. There's a reason that mages are only supposed to drink a small amount. William took a great deal more than the safe amount. It's what gave him the power to cast that Inferno, but you saw the blue fire. That was his magic literally destroying him from the inside out. Fortunately, he burned most of it off with the spell. However…"

"But will he be alright?" the blonde Templar asked impatiently. Irving glanced at him again, wondering why he didn't know the answer already.

"I don't know, Sir…"

"Not Sir anything, First Enchanter. I'm a Grey Warden too, Alistair." He shrugged. "William and I… disagreed on how to deal with this. I though that there was no hope." He sighed. "Stupid thing to do, really. I should have known that William would know what to do." Irving sighed, glancing back at Wynne, who had been joined by Anders and Petra, both Spirit Healers in their own right.

"Very well, Warden. As I said, I don't know if he'll be alright. If anyone can save him, it will be Senior Enchanter Wynne." He sighed, looking back. He knew that, in a few cases, the overcharged mage had survived. However, some of them… wished they hadn't.

"Alistair!" the Orlesian said suddenly. "We have to tell them about Connor!" Irving glanced at them. Alistair stared at her for a moment, before his eyes widened.

"Oh, right!" He turned back to Irving. "First Enchanter, we have a problem. Well, two problems. The first one is the Blight. We have a treaty from the Circle, that they would help the Wardens in the case of a Blight. However, our more immediate issue is in Redcliffe. Someone… got possessed, and William thinks that, since the kid accepted the demon's deal rather than be destroyed, he could be helped if we could go into the Fade and kill the demon there." He shrugged. "And to do that, we need lyrium."

Irving stroked his beard. "On the matter of the treaty, of course we'll help, though we will need time to prepare. As for your possession problem, it shouldn't be too hard. We can set of whenever you're read."

The two glanced at each other. "But… what about William? When will we… know anything?" Irving shook his head.

"Let's see." With that, he led the way over towards Wynne. She looked up.

"He'll live, but other than that, I don't know, Irving." She shook her head. "His mana channel is badly damaged. Worst case scenario, he'll never use magic again." Irving had been afraid of this.

"How is that possible!" the Orlesian cried, causing several people to glance at her, startled. "Why not?" Wynne sighed again.

"To cast magic, mages use two things: the mana pool and the mana channel. The mana pool gives the strength, and the channel shapes it. What William did when he drank all that lyrium was stuff his mana pool past capacity. To prevent it from burning him out, he had to force a lot of magic through his channel very quickly. This… tore it, for lack of a better word. If the mana channel is too badly damaged, then he can't shape his magic, and thus can't cast spells." She turned back to her patient.

"Is there any chance of repairing it?" Alistair asked desperately. Wynne groaned.

"I'm trying, but I'm… not hopeful." She then seemed to tune them out, going back to her work. Irving ushered the pair away. He also tried to get the mabari to follow as well, but it growled slightly and refused to move, so he let it be.

"If we want to help the child in Redcliffe, we should hurry. I assure you, William is in the best hands possible." Alistair and the Orlesian nodded reluctantly, but followed Irving as he headed towards Knight Commander Greagoir.

Greagoir turned from the conversation he had been having with Senior Enchanter Leorah. "Ah, Irving. Senior Enchanter Leorah was just telling me what went on in the tower, and her testimony, along with the reading of the Litany of Adralla has convinced me to call off the Right of Annulment. However, for the moment, the Circle will remain in a state of partial lockdown; no-one goes outside the Tower without a Templar, not even for a moment." He sighed. "It seems that Surana is more capable than I previously anticipated." Irving nodded.

"I know. However, I must ask that you release myself and several other mages to Redcliffe. The Grey Wardens have need of our assistance there, exorcising a demon." Greagoir stood thoughtfully.

"Very well. I'll prepare several Templar to accompany you. Tell us when you're ready to go."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, five boats pulled up to the docks near Redcliffe. Murdock, the mayor, jogged over.<p>

"Wardens? Is that you?" he called. Alistair raised his hand in response.

"Half of us, Mayor." he called back. "But we brought what Bann Teagan wanted us to, we just need to get it back to the castle." The mayor nodded, gesturing several of the militia forward to help carry the cargo the mages had brought. Four of the boats carried a mage and two Templar each, while the fifth carried Leliana and Alistair.

As the group set off up the path towards the castle, Alistair thought back on the conversation he had had with Leliana on the way back.

_"Alistair, what should we do about Jowan?" Leliana asked quietly, glancing towards the nearest Templar to check if he had heard her. Alistair looked surprised._

_ "We give him to the Templar, that's what." He shook his head. "Why wouldn't we?"_

_ "Well, he does have evidence against Loghain." Leliana said slowly. "He's a blood mage, so the Templar will probably kill him immediately." She sighed. "And, well, part of me can't help but feel for him. I saw… things… inside that Tower that make me wonder." She glanced at Alistair. "William killed a mage at one point, because he didn't want her to be hurt by the Templar. If… if that's what they have to do, to survive…" she trailed off._

_ "What, you think we should just let the blood mage go?" Alistair asked, confused. _

_ "No, nor do I think what happened at the Tower was right. But still, I can understand the desire to be free." Alistair sighed._

_ "I guess we can keep Jowan's presence quiet for now, see what William wants to do with him." The pair lapsed into silence._

Alistair sighed. This was why he hated leadership. He didn't know what Jowan would do in any given situation, he didn't know if William had any plans. Especially after his screw up at the Tower, abandoning William, he realized that he was not cut out for leadership. No, it was best to just leave it to William; he would know what to do.

'But will he even come back?' a nasty voice asked in the back of his head. 'That healer said that he would probably never use magic again. What happens then?' He shook his head, he couldn't afford to think about that, William had to be all right.

"I'll head up to the castle." Leliana said. "Let everyone know we're coming." She glanced at Alistair, obviously asking permission. He ignored her, best for her to understand that he wasn't in charge. First Enchanter Irving nodded, and she set off at a jog.

A few minutes later, the party of mages and Templar reached the castle and were admitted by the remaining knights. Sir Perth nodded to Alistair, before turning and leading the way into the Great Hall.

Bann Teagan looked up from his conversation with Leliana. Morrigan was leaning against the wall, looking annoyed with the world, as always. Sten the Qunari stood silently in a corner, still as a statue. There was no sign of Jowan.

"First Enchanter!" Bann Teagan said, quickly striding forward to shake the old mage's hand. "I heard what happened to Warden William. Please tell me that it's not as bad as I was told." Irving shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid it is, my Lord." He waived his hand. "I assure you that everything possible is being done for him, but, at the moment, we have to focus on why we are here. Where is the boy?" Lady Isolde stepped forward.

"He's still upstairs. Nothing happened, no attack, no warning. He's been so quiet." Irving nodded.

"That's good, it means he is still fighting. We should hurry." He gestured for his fellow mages to begin preparing. "With the lyrium we brought, we can begin the ritual to enter the Fade within the demon's outer defenses."

"Who is going into the Fade?" Morrigan asked, pushing herself away from the wall.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but who are you?" Irving asked curiously. She scoffed slightly.

"No one you would know. What you should know is that I'm still fresh, not coming off a battle that you lost, only to be saved at the last second." One of the Templar bristled and stepped forward, probably to tell Morrigan off, but Irving waved him back.

"I'm afraid I need a bit more reassurance than that, Miss," he said politely. "We only have enough lyrium for one mage to go into the Fade. We need to be absolutely certain that whoever enters is capable of handling the problem." Morrigan opened her mouth furiously, but Bann Teagan stepped in.

"She came with Warden William, First Enchanter," he said soothingly. "And while I will admit that she is… prickly, she is skilled. She was the one whom William trusted to stay here and hold the demon back, should the worst occur." He glanced briefly at Leliana, obviously wondering if he should mention Jowan. She shook her head slightly. Irving sighed.

"Very well, your Lordship, I shall trust your interpretation." He turned back to Morrigan. "All I can say is be careful. You are likely…"

"You do not need to lecture me." Morrigan interrupted sharply. "I am perfectly capable of dealing with this mess on my own." She glanced at the other mages, who seemed to be finished with their task. "Well, let's get this over with." She placed herself firmly in the center of the circle the mages had drawn, right next to the lyrium font. The other mages glanced nervously at Irving, who sighed and nodded for them to proceed. They raised their hands as one and started chanting. The lyrium started to glow fiercely, and Morrigan closed her eyes for a moment, before a flash of light obscured her. When everyone could look again, she stood stiffly, obviously in the Fade.

"First Enchanter, what should we do with her, should she survive. She is an apostate, after all." One of the Templar asked quietly. Irving shook his head.

"We owe the Wardens a great deal, and they trust her. Unless she proves otherwise, we leave her be." The Templar backed down, but continued to watch Morrigan carefully. Alistair briefly considered telling the Templar that they were welcome to take her, but he forced that thought down, he was better than that. Irving approached the font, murmuring a few words. An image appeared, giving a window into the Fade. This was what Morrigan was seeing. Everyone was surprised to see Arl Eamon, looking quiet well, if worried.

"Have you seen my son?" he asked. "I can hear him, but I can't see him! Where is he?" Alistair rubbed his forehead. He would have given almost anything to be able to comfort the man, tell him that everything was going to be all right, but he couldn't. Only Morrigan could speak to him, and Alistair had the feeling she would be about as sympathetic as the swamp toad she was probably related to.

"This is the Fade." Morrigan's voice drifted impatiently from the image. "Your kind cannot navigate it any more than you might navigate a dream." She sighed. "Just… leave me to it, old man. You'll just get in the way."

"Isn't it just wonderful how much she cares about other people?" Alistair growled, wishing he could wrap his fingers around her neck.

"I do wish she would be nicer." Leliana sighed, shaking her head. "I was hoping that spending some time here would give her a reason to care about poor Connor." Alistair rolled his eyes.

"Yeah... that's never going to happen."

Morrigan had moved on, and seemed to have found Connor. Irving narrowed his eyes, it was too soon. The boy shouldn't have been this easy to find.

"Are you the one who made Father ill?" Connor cried, trying to sound angry, though he couldn't keep the fear out of his voice. "Tell me now!" The image wobbled slightly; Morrigan must have rolled her eyes.

"Run along and play, or whatever. I have no time for you." The boy's eyes narrowed.

"I don't believe you! You're trying to hurt Father! Get away!" The boy started to glow, and a small fire lit itself before him. Morrigan scoffed, before snapping her fingers and canceling the fire out with an ice bolt.

"Leave me alone, boy. Can you not see I'm here to help?"

"Don't fall for it, girl." Irving whispered. "That's the demon." He needn't have worried, as Morrigan turned away, there was a bang. She turned back, to see the form of a Desire Demon kneeling, half frozen and pierced in a half dozen places.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid, demon?" she asked tauntingly. "There's no way that the boy would be here. Just a shame that you're not, either. We'll be seeing each other soon." With that, Morrigan continued on, finishing the fake demon off with one last blast as she passed.

Bann Teagen walked a short distance away from the spectacle, gesturing for Alistair to follow him.

"Why are we not giving Jowan to the Circle?" he asked quietly. "This whole mess is partially his fault. Why should he escape punishment?" Alistair shrugged.

"Well, so long as we keep him locked up, then we can hand him over at any time. As it is, he might be useful, if only for evidence against Loghain." Teagan nodded slowly. "Really, though, I just don't feel right cutting William out of the loop. I tried it at the Circle, and it rather backfired, nearly ruined all his hard work."

"Very well, Alistair." Teagan said after a pause. "For the moment, we will wait. However, if Eamon dies, then I'm taking action." Alistair agreed, and the two returned to the cluster.

Morrigan was walking down a strange hallway, which opened up into a massive room. At the other hand, the Desire demon was lounging on a throne. Above her, held in a pair of giant hands, was Connor. He was sleeping.

"Very well." The demon rose smoothly, smiling at Morrigan, who stood her ground. "No more illusions, no more games. You stand at the heart of my power. Still, I have no wish to fight one such as you, wild and untamed, so different from the stodgy old men I'm used to." She slowly sauntered down the steps, never breaking eye contact with Morrigan. "Perhaps… we can converse, instead?"

"Do you take me for a fool, demon." Morrigan asked furiously. "I know where conversations with demons go, either to a battle, or to a bad deal. Let it be the former!" The demon sighed.

"That is sad. Very well, a battle it is then!" She lashed out with a whip of energy, which Morrigan batted aside. The mage countered with a blast of ice, which the demon melted. Several more spells were exchanged, but the demon didn't seem fazed.

"Nothing you do can hurt me in here, little girl." The demon called, smirking. Morrigan didn't answer, but everyone saw her eyes flick to Connor for a moment.

"Don't you dare…" Lady Isolde whispered, wringing her hands. Alistair could see where Morrigan's thoughts were going. From what he understood, the demon was drawing strength from Connor, and thus was much more difficult to defeat so long as they remained in close contact.

Morrigan suddenly lashed out, using a Cone of Cold to drive the demon back a step. A flash of light then distorted the image, and when it cleared, Morrigan was flying through the air towards Connor. The demon looked around in confusion, before realizing what was going on. She desperately turned, but Morrigan had already returned to her true form and was pulling Connor off the alter. His eyes opened, and he gasped.

"Who…" he started, before Morrigan dumped him behind the throne.

"Stay here if you value your life!" she growled at him, before stepping back out into the fight. Her next Winter's Grasp finally connected, causing the demon to cry out in pain. She dashed towards the throne, probably to try and restore the connection with Connor. However, the boy did not make it easy, and Morrigan kept hitting the demon with spells whenever she got close. Finally, with a wail, the demon toppled, fading from view.

"Looks like she does know what she's doing, after all," one of the Templar muttered. Alistair knew what he meant, if the situation had not been so serious, with so much at stake, he would have hoped that Morrigan had failed, so as to take her down a notch. But alas, it was not to be.

"Oh, did I miss everything?" an amused voice drifted from the doorway, and Alistair whirled to see William leaning heavily on his staff, but still grinning widely. Senior Enchanter Wynne stood behind him, sighing. Thunder, meanwhile, was panting at his side, and Sir Zelda was lurking behind them.

"William!" Leliana cried, rushing over. "Are you… Can you still…" He chuckled.

"Yes, I'm still a mage." He walked into the room, still using his staff as a crutch. Alistair suddenly noticed that it was different from the one he had carried into the Tower.

"Luckily." Wynne said coolly, "William, must I remind you just how lucky you were?" He rolled his eyes slightly.

"Not really, ma'am" He glanced at Morrigan, who was blinking as she woke. "Nicely done, Morrigan." She stared at him.

"Well, 'tis good to see you on you feet. I should have known these fools were exaggerating tales of your impending death." He chuckled.

"I'm not quite that easy to get rid of." Wynne sighed, shaking her head at Irving.

* * *

><p><em> Four hours earlier.<em>

Wynne sighed as she leaned back in her chair. Anders had collapsed a few minutes earlier, and Petra had been forced to start working on him. There really hadn't been much for them to do anymore, so Wynne had told them to get some sleep afterwards.

All in all, William was doing all right. She couldn't really explain it, but it seemed as if his mana channel, normally so difficult to fix, was almost repairing itself. Still, he had to wake up before she could be certain if it still worked. Not that she was going to rush the process.

William suddenly groaned slightly in his sleep. The poor boy must be having nightmares, and they looked fairly bad. Normally, Wynne would have woken him, but his body needed every bit of rest it could get. So all she could do was be there for him.

Silently, she whispered into the Fade for Loyalty, one of the benevolent spirits who had agreed to aid her, to try and find him. After a few moments, he sadly admitted that he couldn't reach William, that some dark power held him. Not demonic, but evil nonetheless. She wished that there was something more that she could do for him.

She checked his arm again, where those ugly burns had been. It was obvious that he had put them there himself, and that was one of the things she intended to talk to him about when he woke. She knew why he had done it, but it still wasn't healthy.

William's eyes shot open, and he tried to sit up, but was held down by the loose spell that Wynne had put on the bed to shop him moving. His eyes found her, and he opened his mouth, probably to say something angry, but she beat him too it.

"It's Ok, William, it's Ok." She whispered, gently laying a hand on his arm. "You're fine now, or at least I think so." She gently scanned him, checking his channel. The natural flow seemed to be going smoothly, though he still shouldn't be casting spells for a while.

"Is Uldred dead?" William asked coolly. Wynne nodded, and he gave a feral grin.

"Now, before you get excited, I must tell you that, what you did, while effective, was also extremely foolish!" William blinked at the sharp tone her voice took. "I'm surprised you didn't kill yourself with that stunt!"

"What was I supposed to do, wait for Uldred to eat me?" Wynne shook her head.

"No, but you could have taken one of those lyrium potions, which would have allowed you to hold out until we could bring the barrier down." William raised an eyebrow.

"You know what, Senior Enchanter." His voice was overly formal. "Next time I'm trapped with a furious pride demon, and my support is trapped on the other side of a barrier, I'll remember this and temper my response." Wynne sighed.

"This is serious, young man. Do you have any idea how worried we all were about you? Your poor mabari has been in hysterics." William brightened.

"Thunder's still here?" he asked. Wynne sighed, and gestured at the door. It opened by itself, and a mass of fur and slobber rushed in, barking madly. Wynne winced slightly as he put his paws up on the bed, staring at William, who grinned and ran his hand over the dog's head. "Nice to see you too, boy." He glanced up. "Where's everyone else?"

"They headed towards Redcliffe. Something about a possessed child." William nodded, obviously remembering about that.

"Well, I should probably go make sure everything goes smoothly. Can I please get up now?" Wynne sighed, a part of her wanted to tell him to lay back and stay quiet for a week, but she realized that he had to get moving.

"Very well, but I'm going with you, to ensure that you do not do anything foolish. Your mana channel is still delicate, and thus you shouldn't cast any spells for a while." He nodded absentmindedly, obviously only half listening to her. "Oh, and I got rid of those burns on your arm."

That got his attention. His hand jerked immediately to the point, and his eyes narrowed. "There was no need to do that."

"There was too." Wynne said firmly. Her voice softened. "William, I know you miss Solona, I do too. But you have to understand…"

"I'm not interested in hearing this lecture again." William said coldly, not looking at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Obviously you have too, seeing as you _burned words into your arm_! That is not…" William interrupted.

"Not now, Senior Enchanter." He tried to walk away, but stumbled slightly, and Wynne moved automatically to support him.

"You're still not fully recovered, William!" she berated him. "If you really must walk, then take this." She grabbed the staff that had been brought from the storeroom. Will glanced at it.

"What happened to the other one?" Wynne simply raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned sheepishly. "Well, that one lasted more than a week. Improvement over the last one, right?" He started walking out the door, leaning on the new staff, but Wynne stopped him for a moment.

"We will finish this conversation later, William." He sighed, before continuing down the hall towards the door. Several templar and a mage were cleaning up, but glance at William as he passed. They immediately started whispering among themselves. William looked a bit put out by this. "Don't worry, they weren't saying anything bad about you. After that display, someone, I think it might have been Erk, started calling you a 'Dragon Mage', and the name stuck." Will looked at her incredulously, before shaking his head and pushing the door to the entrance hall open. Knight Commander Greagoir looked up from the conversation he had been having with Sir Zelda.

"Where are you going, Surana?" he asked, walking towards him. William came to a stop.

"Redcliffe. That's where everyone else is." Wynne stepped up behind him.

"Knight Commander, I request permission to go with him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." The Knight Commander studied them for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well. Sir Zelda, would you accompany them." She nodded immediately. "Travel well, Warden, Senior Enchanter. Oh, and Surana… well done." William inclined his head, before limping towards the door. Zelda moved to support him, but Wynne stopped her with a glance, William hated it when people tried to help him like that.

They grabbed one of the Templar boats, and Wynne used a simple spell to propel it forward, heading south to Redcliffe.

* * *

><p>"How did you heal him, Wynne?" Irving asked. Wynne shrugged.<p>

"He seems to have some kind of healing factor, which made my job possible." Will raised an eyebrow at that, Wynne hadn't had a chance to tell him about this, but it made sense. Alistair had told him that Darkspawn were able to regenerate from moderate wounds, so it stood to reason that Grey Wardens, who shared the Taint, could do the same. Alistair seemed to have reached the same conclusion, judging by his own raised eyebrows.

"Well, our work here is done." Irving said calmly, as the mages who had come with him started gathering up their equipment. "Will you be accompanying us back to Kinloch, Wynne?" She paused for a moment.

"Actually… I would like to join William's mission. If the Blight consumes Fereldan, then all the work we did at the Circle will not matter." Irving stared at her.

"I guess any help William and the Wardens can get would be welcome, but the Circle remains in partial lockdown, you would need a Templar with you." Wynne smiled.

"I'm sure Sir Zelda or one of the others could stay with us as well." Will glance around. Sten seemed not to care too much and Morrigan seemed annoyed, but Alistair and Leliana looked to be happy with the arrangement.

"Well, if our glorious Knight Commander gives his blessing, then I suppose it would be alright." Wynne sighed, but didn't comment. Irving nodded.

"I shall return to the Tower, and discuss this with Greagoir. Maker willing, he will see reason."

(Codex: Pride Demon)

"Let me explain what it is to face a pride demon, my friends. You may scoff and say that our talents exist only to face mages, but you will encounter demons often. They will be summoned by a maleficar and bound to do his bidding, and while at times they will be forced into the possession of a host, they will also face you in their true form... a powerful opponent indeed. Do not underestimate it. Pride is powerful, and intelligent. When we have encountered one in its true form, its most common attacks are bolts of fire and ice. Fire they will use to burn an opponent, and the magical flame will combust anything you wear regardless of make. Ice they will use to freeze an opponent in place—be cautious, for they enjoy employing this against warriors in particular. More than one group of templars has made the mistake of attempting to overwhelm a pride demon and suffered the consequences, believe me. And if you think that having the aid of other mages will assist you, you are wrong. Pride demons can render themselves immune to magic for short times, and are adept at dispelling magic that is cast upon you... as much as we templars are able to disrupt spells. Think on that for a moment, my friends. Be wary of how prideful you become, lest you find too much in common with such a fiend." -_Transcript of a lecture given by Vheren, templar-commander of Tantervale, 6:86 Steel_

AN: School's started again for me, so it may be a while before the next chapter appears. The Dalish are next, and we'll see what happens after that. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review.


	14. Flesh and Stone

Reviewer Response:

Agent 94: In my defense, JKR didn't mention the Goblet of Fire in Harry Potter 4 until the sixteenth chapter, and then never spoke of it again.

Chapter 13: Flesh and Stone

Will leaned back against the wall outside Arl Eamon's room. Wynne had gone in there to see if there was anything she could do for the man. In all the chaos of getting Connor unpossessed, he had almost forgotten the reason that he was here in the first place. Still, better late than never.

Jowan _obviously_ hadn't thought to ask what it was that he was supposed to give to the Arl, and Lady Isolde had had his remaining stash destroyed. This left Wynne in a tight spot, she had to quickly figure out what ailed the Arl, now that the demon was no longer keeping him alive. She had seemed quiet annoyed with the pair of them. Will winced slightly at the memory of that pleasant little chat.

_"What do you mean, you destroyed the poison!" Wynne shouted, glaring at the noblewoman, who lifted her chin proudly. _

_ "What was I supposed to do, just leave it lying around for any backup assassin to continue administrating? Besides, why is it so important, we already know my husband is dying." Wynne shook her head in frustration._

_ "It matters because certain poisons react differently to common cures! There's one that somehow gains strength from healing magic, meaning that it must be treated by natural means. If I don't know what I'm dealing with, then I might inadvertently make it worse." Lady Isolde glared at the annoyed Senior Enchanter._

_ "Well, you're in luck. The mage who did this is still alive, so you can just ask him!" Wynne looked surprised._

_ "A mage? Why didn't you tell us about this earlier, we could have taken him back to the Tower." Leliana stepped forward. _

_ "The mage in question has evidence against Teyrn Loghain, who ordered the poisoning. Alistair and I thought it best to wait until William was able to make a decision on the matter, he's in charge." She glanced at Will, who was silent for a moment._

_ On the one hand, he was still angry with Jowan, but what Leliana had said made sense. He sighed._

_ "I agree with Leliana, we'll keep him around for the moment. Let's go ask if he knows what he was dosing the Arl with." The group set of to the dungeons, where Jowan remained under heavy guard._

_ "Senior Enchanter?" he asked, glancing up from the floor. Wynne stopped dead._

_ "Jowan…" She glanced at Will, who nodded grimly. "He is a blood mage, William. We must…"_

_ "The fact remains that he is currently the only one who has any charges against Loghain that might stick. With Ostegar, it will be our word against his, and most nobles probably won't listen." He sighed, glaring at the nervous prisoner. "For the moment, we need him. However, that could change at any time." Jowan gulped. "So, want to tell us what you were poising the Arl with?"_

_ "I… ah… don't really know. Tey… Loghain just gave me the poison and told me to go do it." He cringed slightly as Wynne balked._

_ "You mean you didn't even know what you were doing?" she asked, stunned. Jowan nodded, trying to look as small as possible. "HOW COULD YOU NOT ASK! I'M SURPRISED YOU WERE ABLE TO AVOID POSIONING YOURSELF BY ACCIDENT! DIDN'T I TEACH YOU_ ANYTHING_ IN ALCHEMY? NEVER! EVER! USE! SOMETHING! IF! YOU! DON'T! KNOW! WHAT! IT! IS!_

Will felt like his ears were still ringing from the shouting. He had almost felt sorry for Jowan, cringing away from the irate Enchanter. If there was one thing that Wynne hated, it was when someone took dangerous shortcuts when dealing with deadly objects. It probably came from all the times she had to heal foolish apprentices who did something stupid, either with magic or more mundane methods, and landed themselves in the medical area of the Tower.

The door to the Arl's room opened, and Wynne stepped out, followed by Lady Isolde.

"Well, it could be worse." Wynne said tiredly. "I'm fairly certain I've identified the poison. It's a slow-acting toxin from Antiva, so he is in no immediate danger. However, this particular poison is very rare, and thus there are few antidotes, and those that do exist are very difficult to make and require ingredients from outside Fereldan, nothing I can get my hands on."

"I already sent the knights out for the only cure I could think of. The Urn of Sacred Ashes is said to cure any illness." Lady Isolde said. Will barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

"Lady Isolde, I am uncertain that it is… wise, to pin all your hopes upon the Urn." Wynne said gently. "We don't have any clues as to where it might be, it's been lost for centuries."

"Actually, we do have some clues." Bann Teagan said, having come to see what was going on. "A well-known Chantry scholar, Brother Genitivi of Denerim, has been on the trail of the Urn for years. There have recently been rumors that he was getting close." Wynne and Will glanced at each other.

"Wait, I remember talking to a Sir Donell in Lothering, and he was beginning to worry that the Urn would never be found." Will said. Lady Isolde glared at him.

"No, the Urn will be found, I'm sure of it." Her voice was firm, and Will decided he really wasn't in the mood to argue about it.

"Very well. My group will continue on with our mission, but if we ever find ourselves in Denerim, we'll check on this Brother Genitivi and see if he knows anything." Lady Isolde looked like she wanted to demand that they focus on curing her husband, but Bann Teagan spoke first.

"They have already done more than enough for us, Isolde. It is time to let them continue on their mission." He turned back to Will. "I will remain here, my seneschal can handle Rainesfere for a while. Maker's blessing be upon you in your endeavors." Will nodded, before walking away, followed by Wynne.

"Do you have any idea when any news on you being allowed to help will return?" Will asked quietly. Wynne shook her head.

"It has only been a few hours, William, be patient." Will groaned slightly. He hated all this waiting around, knowing that the Blight was probably destroying some village while he was here, cooling his heels. Still, Wynne would be a valuable ally, and he couldn't afford to antagonize Greagoir.

He split off from Wynne not long afterwards, claiming the need to pack so that when it was time to leave, he would be ready to go. Really, he didn't want to give her a chance to begin her lecture on why he shouldn't care about Solona's death. He had heard it before, and really wasn't in the mood to hear it again.

Sitting in the room that he had been given, he started sorting through his pack, wondering if there was anything he wouldn't need. He still had the tome he wanted to show Morrigan, he just hadn't had a chance yet. As he shifted some spare robes, he noticed something at the bottom. For a moment, he stared in confusion at the lockbox, wondering where he had gotten it, before remembering.

It was the object he and Alistair had found in the Wilds, with the note attached that he should return it to Jetta in Redcliffe. With all the chaos that had filled his days since then, he had forgotten about it.

"I should probably deal with this," he muttered to himself, grabbing the box. Thunder glanced up from the foot of the bed, whining. Will glanced back. "Please, stay here for the moment, Thunder. If anyone comes looking for me, lead them down the village, that's where I'll be." The mabari barked and nodded, and Will quietly left.

He didn't meet anyone on his way down, of which he was mildly thankful. He soon found himself in the square before the Chantry, which had been cleared of corpses. Murdock stood not far away, giving orders to a few of the remaining militia. Most had been allowed to hang up their weapons for the moment, but a few were still required to keep order. Will wandered over.

"Ah, Warden, is there anything I can help you with?" Murdock said, smiling. Will nodded.

"I was just wondering if a woman named Jetta survived the horde? I have something for her." Murdock pondered for a moment, before shrugging.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Warden. I was more focused on the militia, rather than the rest of the survivors. The Revered Mother might know, though." Will nodded politely before heading into the Chantry. He soon found the Revered Mother leading a small group in prayer, and waited for her to finish.

"You require something, Warden?" After he explained his mission too her, the Revered Mother nodded. "Yes, she is right over there." Will thanked the priest, before steeling himself and heading for the young woman. She glanced up, looking confused.

"Warden? What are you doing here?" Will sighed.

"You're Jetta, right. Your husband and son went as missionaries to the Kokari Wilds?" She nodded, looking nervous. Will slowly held out the box. "I'm sorry to say that they… didn't make this. They wanted you to have this."

Jetta bit back a sob, taking the box. "I told them that it was a bad idea, but they wouldn't listen to me." She looked up at Will. "Thank you, Warden, for finding them." She turned slowly, leaving the Chantry. Will sighed, before turning to leave. He glanced down towards the docks, and was surprised to see a Templar walking up the path, before changing direction to Will when he noticed him.

"Grey Warden," he said in a very formal voice. "I have the answer to Senior Enchanter Wynne's request for leave from the Tower to aid in your endeavor. The Knight Commander has decided to endorse her request, but due to the Templar being required elsewhere, only her current escort will be carrying on with her." Will thought it might annoy the man to say that he preferred it that way, so he stayed silent, nodding. The Templar handed him two rolls of parchment. "Tell Senior Enchanter Wynne to keep this one on her at all times, it identifies that she has a legitimate reason for being away from the Circle, and give this to Sir Zelda, it's her orders." Will nodded, taking the offered parchments. The Templar saluted, before turning and walking back towards the boat he must have come on. Will, meanwhile, headed back up towards the castle.

"William? I was just looking for you." Alistair said as he met Will at the gate. "Where did you disappear too?" Will shrugged.

"I just had to do something down in the village. The important thing is that we can get moving now. Would you see if you could find Sten and Leliana so we can meet back here and head out?" Alistair nodded, before turning and heading back towards the practice grounds. Will, meanwhile, headed up towards the living quarters, hoping that Morrigan was around so he didn't have to go looking for her.

It turned out that Morrigan was, in fact, in the living area, and thus the whole group was ready to go within fifteen minutes. Will led the way out of the castle, and then headed east towards the Brecilian Forest, where he hoped to find the Dalish Elves, the second of the major treaty groups.

* * *

><p><em> Three days later<em>

Zevran Arainai leaned back against a wrecked cart, casually twirling one of his blades through his fingers. He had been seeking out his marks ever since that noble in Denerim had approached the Crows, and it had finally paid off. He now had reliable intelligence that the Grey Wardens would be coming this way. After learning that, it had been child's play to devise this trap. A young apostate, dressed up as a refugee, would lure the Wardens into this small canyon with a sob story about attacking bandits, where the rest of his hire hands would ambush and kill them. He sighed, idly watching the hawk that patrolled the skies above him.

This almost seemed too easy. When he had bid for the job, the leader of his cell had cautioned him against taking the mission, a rare thing among the Crows. He had said that killing Wardens was generally considered both foolish and "impolitic". The noble had obviously considered this an easy job, but he had seemed quite arrogant, so Zevran had remained cautions. However, it seemed that the man might have had the right of it.

The hawk dove out of sight, and Zevran wondered what unfortunate rodent had caught the predator's eye. Sometimes, he had wondered why the Crows called themselves such. Not a particularly romantic name.

He glanced up as his lookout jogged over, still clutching his crossbow. "They're coming, boss." Zevran nodded, sheathing his dagger, and gesturing for the bait to move forward. It would be all over soon, one way or another.

* * *

><p>Will glanced over as Morrigan returned to her human form, looking troubled "Any news?" he asked. Morrigan nodded.<p>

"What are we dealing with?" he asked, gesturing the others to come closer so they could hear as well.

"About fifteen enemies, too organized to be bandits." She gestured down the path. "One of them is disguised as a helpless refugee, she will likely lead us to the others. Eight crossbowmen, lined along two low ridges, and the rest using melee weapons and hidden among some damaged carts." Will nodded, an interesting plan, deadly if unexpected, but manageable now that Morrigan had learned of it.

"Excellent." Will said quietly. "Right, here's the plan. Morrigan, fly around, you'll be taking out one of the archer groups, how about the one on our left. Leliana, Wynne, you two hang back and help me pick off the other group, Thunder will cover you. Alistair, Zelda, Sten and myself will meet the close range fighters, we have the best defenses." Everyone nodded. "Right, let's greet our guest."

A few moments later, the bait arrived. She certainly looked the part, flushed from running, eyes widened, and her rough spun clothes artfully torn enough to indicate she had barely escaped.

"Oh, please!" she screamed, stumbling to a halt. "Bandits! You have to help us, please!" Will had to admit that she was good, if he didn't already know what was going on, he would have thought that she was genuinely in trouble. He put a look of concern on his face, before gesturing the others to follow him. They all nodded grimly, following him as he jogged after the woman. They soon arrived at a scene of devastation, four or five carts were burning, and several people seemed to be picking over the remains. They glanced up at Will as he and the others approached. Will noticed the woman who had lead them slowly backing out of the way, obviously waiting for a chance to do her part in the ambush. He subtly gestured Thunder to cover her, while he watched the ridges out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for the archers to appear.

One of the enemies stepped forward, an elf with several interesting face tattoos. He studied Will for a moment, before smirking and whistling. The archers stepped up to the edge, raising their crossbows. The elf's smirk fell as Will immediately blasted one group with a fireball, and a member of the other team suddenly exploded as Morrigan hit him with a Walking Bomb. The guide had simultaneously created a ball of lightning in her hands, only to be tackled and her neck snapped by Thunder. The one archer who had survived Will's fireball stood, only to be shot down by Leliana. Will smirked right back at the elf.

The elf seemed to have the good sense to be worried at this point, as did the cluster of men behind him. Two had even started to back away, only to trip as Wynne lifted a wall to knee height behind them. Morrigan, who had had descended from the cliff after finishing off the archers that survived her first attack, electrocuted them.

The elf and his remaining followers glanced at each other, before dashing forward together. The elf was able to twist away from Leliana's arrow, but his three companions fell to a volley of magic. Alistair moved to intercept the assassin, but he wasn't fast enough to catch the elf as he dodged around him. But even the fastest fighter can't avoid telekinesis as Will grabbed the enemy in a Crushing Prison. Sten raised his sword to finish the enemy off.

"Don't." Will said simply. "I want to ask him some questions." He glared at the squirming elf. "That is, unless you're interested in making this difficult." The prisoner shook his head quickly, dropping his daggers. Will released the Crushing Prison.

"Well, this is unexpected." The elf's voice carried a distinct Antivan accent, and was far more cheerful than Will thought his situation warranted. "I was rather thinking you would have just killed me. Though I suppose it is natural to want to interrogate people who randomly decide to kill you." Will snorted.

"Oh, I highly doubt that this was random. I'm guessing Loghain hired you." The elf shrugged.

"Yes and no. Technically, another noble in Denerim contacted my organization, but he only sent me out with this Loghain's permission." He held up a hand. "Perhaps I should start at the beginning. My name is Zevran, Zev to my friends. I am a member of the Antivan Crows, sent here to ensure that any Grey Wardens who were still alive died. Sadly, it seems I've failed at this task."

"Well, I'm actually quite happy you failed." Alistair muttered, glaring at Zevran, who chuckled slightly.

"Well, so would I be in your shoes, but from the perspective of a budding assassin career, this won't go over very well."

"So, what are the Antivan Crows, anyways?" Will asked.

"I can answer that." Leliana piped up. "They are an order of assassins from Antiva. They are powerful, and have a reputation for always getting the job done..." Everyone glanced at Zevran for a moment, before Leliana hurriedly continued. "… so to speak. They are also very expensive to hire. Loghain is serious about killing you."

"That was excellently put, my lady." Zevran said, smiling at Leliana before looking back to Will. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of us, where I come from we are quite infamous." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Surely not for being talented assassins." He gestured around.

"Oh fine, is that what you Fereldans do? Mock your prisoners." Zevran exclaimed, pouting slightly. "Such cruelty." Will rolled his eyes.

"You're rather glib for a prisoner, you know that?" Zevran smirked.

"So I am told." Will shook his head, this guy was infuriating.

"So, when were you going to meet Loghain or his ally again?"

"I wasn't. If I had succeeded, I would simply return to Antiva, and the Crows would deal with the payments. If I had failed, well, then I would be dead, or should be by the Crow's reasoning."

"_If_ you had failed?" Will asked acidly, lighting a flame briefly in his hand to remind Zevran of the current balance of power. The assassin shrugged.

"What can I say, hm? I am an eternal optimist." He glanced around, grimacing slightly. "Though I will admit that success seems very unlikely at this point, no?" He laughed slightly, before tapering off as Will's expression didn't change. "I don't suppose you would find that funny, would you?"

Will rolled his eyes slightly. "Why are you being so free with all this information?"

"Well, I don't really have any stake in this, it's nothing personal, just business. So I have no real reason to avoid telling you what you want to know."

"Feel's awfully personal on my end." Will muttered, before raising his voice again. "So, anything else you care to let us in on? Any more assassins coming"

"Not that I know of." Zevran said, before quickly continuing. "Now, if the interrogation is over for the moment, I would like to ask you something." Will stared at him.

"O…k…" he said slowly. This Zevran certainly had audacity, he would give him that.

"Well, here's the thing," he drawled. "As you're lovely friend said, the Crows want to keep their reputation of always succeeding in their missions. Since I failed this time, even if I were to later go back and succeed, they might still kill me for failing the first time. However, I like living. Now, the only way to leave the Crows is to either die, which defeats the purpose, or to join with someone who can protect one from them." He studied Will for a moment. "Now, you are obviously someone who can give the Crows pause, so, if it pleases you, I would like to join up with you."

Alistair doubled over, laughing hysterically. "You must really think we're stupid! You tried to kill us!" Zevran sighed.

"To be honest, I was never given much choice in joining the Crows. They bought me on the slave market as a child. This being said, you will understand if I'm not particularly interested in hanging around. Therefore, I have little to gain from killing you, especially if I run the risk of being killed despite everything."

"Let's say for a moment that I'm considering your offer." Will ignored the incredulous looks he got from the rest of the party. "Why would we even want you?"

"Because I am skilled in many things." Zevran said, smiling. "I am stealthy, I can pick locks, I could also recognize any more… subtle, attempts by the Crows, I know how they work."

"Would that be before or after you stabbed us all in the back?" Will snorted. Zevran rolled his eyes.

"Haven't you been listening to what I've been saying about the Crows likely killing me anyways?" He sighed. "Though I understand what your saying. It all comes down to whether you're willing to take some risks for the greater good." He watched Will expectantly. "What shall it be, hm?"

Will stared at Zevran, his thoughts racing. On the one hand, Zevran could turn out to be very helpful, but he could also be lying through his teeth about everything to get Will to let his guard down. He started pacing, always keeping an eye on Zevran, who had started looking hopeful.

"There's an old saying you might have heard of, Zevran." Will said finally. "Keep one's friends close, and one's enemies closer." He stopped, turning to watch Zevran.

"I have heard that one." Zevran said hopefully, taking a small step towards Will. His eyes widened suddenly as an Arcane Bolt slashed through his neck, killing him instantly.

"Unfortunately, I think that that would help you more than me." Will finished coolly, glancing at the body for a moment, before turning to the rest of the group. "See if there's anything interesting around."

(AN: Please read the AN at the bottom of the page!)

There really wasn't much to find that would be useful until Leliana took a closer look at Zevran, seeming interested with a pendant he was wearing.

"What is it, Leliana?" Zelda asked as she studied the sword one of the assassins had been carrying, considering whether she should switch. Leliana held it up.

"It's a stealth aid." she put it on and closed her eyes for a moment before fading from view. Will stared at the point where she was, noticing the slight ripples in the air, before she reappeared a moment later. "Unfortunately, I'm not very good, so I won't be able to pull off anything fancy with it."

Once again, Will found himself wondering where Leliana had gotten her skills. The bow and knives, he could understand, but stealth devices were very rare, and it was unlikely that she would have simply found one somewhere, let alone learn how to use it without a dedicated teacher. He would have to try and worm an explanation out of her at some point, He put it out of his mind for the moment as he helped pull the bodies together in the center of the field, before lighting them aflame. The party watched for a moment before turning and heading on their way.

Will continued mulling over Leliana's unexplained skills. He couldn't help but feel that he should know the answer to his question, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shrugged; it would come to him eventually.

* * *

><p>The team reached the village of Honnleath not long afterwards. From there, it would just be a short journey to the forest where they hoped to find the Dalish. The people of the village seemed worried, glancing nervously at the heavily armed band as they entered. They seemed to calm as they realized that there were two Templar (Will felt no need to inform them that Alistair was not really a Templar).<p>

Will led the way over to the inn, hoping that there would be enough space so that they wouldn't have to camp out again. There were rooms left, but not many.

"Out of curiosity, why are there so many people?" Zelda asked, glancing around. "Has something happened?" The innkeeper looked around, lowering his voice.

"They're all from Lothering, Sir Templar." He seemed terrified. "The Darkspawn moved in, sacked the whole place. You're looking at the survivors." He sighed, glancing around. "I don't know. I thought Teyrn Loghain had the right of it, trying to keep the Orleasians out of the country, I remember what it was like during the occupation. But these beasts…" he shuddered. "They're just animals, vicious, rabid animals. If half the stories I've heard are true, then I'm more scared of them than the Chevaliers, at least they were human."

Will sighed, shaking his head. Once more he found himself saddened and disgusted. What had Loghain been thinking when he turned his back at Ostagar. Had he thought that the Darkspawn would just go away? What was the point in getting the throne if the country was destroyed a few months later? Sighing, Will glanced out the window, not suprised to see Morrigan by herself. Suddenly, he remebered the grimoire he had been meaning to show her.

"Be back in a moment," he said quickly, grabbing his bag and heading out.

"Warden?" Morrigan asked as he walked up to her. He pulled the book out.

"Morrigan. I found in the Circle, and its aura reminded me of you. Know anything about it." Morrigan took the book from Will's hands, her face lighting up in one of the first genuine smiles Will could remember seeing.

"I don't believe it. You found Mother's grimoire?" she whispered, glancing up at Will. "I had thought that this was lost forever!" She cocked her head. "Why are you giving it to me, anyways? I didn't know you had it, so you could have just kept it." Will shrugged.

"I suspected it was yours, so I thought I'd ask you if it was. If it hadn't been, then I would have kept it."

"And when you tried to read it, you couldn't, right?" Morrigan asked shrewdly, and Will nodded. She smirked. "Perfectly understandable. Though I must admit, I thought you would have been like the rest of the mages who allow themselves to be corralled in those towers."

"We don't exactly have a choice in the matter." Will said coolly. "Besides, not all are content to stay. Anders, a friend of mine, must have just recently gotten out of solitary after his seventh escape attempt." Morrigan looked surprised.

"Really? Mother said that the mages of the Circle were mostly weaklings who couldn't think for themselves, which is why they never escaped. I thought that the preachy schoolmistress that you insisted we bring along proved that. You say it is otherwise?" Will shrugged.

"We're divided, that's our main problem. Some are like Wynne, probably raised to see magic as something evil even before being taken to the Circle, and letting that spill over into their time there. Some are like Anders, seeking an out at every turn. Unfortunately, they generally don't last long, most are either killed or made Tranquil."

"And what of you?" Morrigan asked slowly, studying Will.

"I don't agree with the Chantry, but realize that I have to survive. I felt that, if and when I took a stand, I wanted it to count for something." Morrigan nodded, accepting his answer. "How did the Templar get that, anyways? I would have thought that your mother would have wiped out any Templar sent after her."

"True, she did, most of the time. The fools just marched up to our door, demanding that we surrender." She laughed coldly. "Mother would give them one chance to turn tail and run, and they invariably refused. We always knew that they were coming long before they arrived, and had time to prepare." Her eyes became distant. "However, there was one group that was smarter than the rest. Somehow, I don't know how, they were able to evade the wards, and we only knew they were coming a minute before they arrived. We had to flee, trying to lead them into an ambush. Unfortunately, they didn't take the bait, not entirely. Several of them followed and were killed, but the rest left, after having torn the house apart, taking the grimoire and a few other artifacts." She shuddered slightly. "Mother's fury at its loss was… terrifying to behold." Will had a sudden image of a child Morrigan, hiding behind something as Flemeth stomped around the house, and felt a flash of pity for her.

"So, what are you going to do with that?" he asked, gesturing towards the book that Morrigan was hugging. She smirked evilly.

"Why, I _read_ it of course!" she said. "I am not going to squander this opportunity to learn more than she wants me too!" She nodded. "Thank you, Warden."

"You know, I have a name, Morrigan." Will said. "You don't have to call me Warden all the time." Morrigan blinked, surprised. "I mean, you use Alistair's name, and you don't even like him." Morrigan paused for a moment.

"I… don't know." She shrugged. "It's easy to say his name, it annoys him. You… you I have some respect for. You are a better Warden than he."

"So you use the title because you think it fits?" Will asked, and Morrigan nodded. Will opened his mouth again before pausing. He sensed something.

"What…" Morrigan started before Will raised his hand, concentrating.

"Darkspawn…" he whispered. "Go get the others up now!" Morrigan didn't argue, dashing back towards the inn. Will, meanwhile, ran towards the center of town as the screams started.

He arrived in the central square just as the lead elements of the Darkspawn force were hitting the wooden gate, which wouldn't last long. People were sprinting up the hill towards the townhouse, one of the few stone buildings in the town. Several people who looked like militia were gathering, led by a middle-aged man carrying a mage staff.

"Where's everyone else!" the mage was shouting at one of the militia soldiers as Will jogged over. The man shook his head, turning in terror as a crash sounded throughout the town. The mage turned to see Will. "Thank the Maker! I had heard that there were some mages and Templar in town! Where are the rest of you?"

"They should be showing up any moment now." Will said, glancing back to see Thunder leading the rest of the group towards him. "We have a plan?"

"I don't know!" the lead militia member wailed. "We never thought we'd have to fight monsters, just the occasional bandit!" Will cursed.

"Calm down!" This statement was almost drowned out by another crash, and Will sensed the darkspawn entering the town. "Head up to the top of the hill, then get ready to fall back to the townhouse. Move!" A little under a minute later, dozens of Hurlocks and Genlocks streamed into the lower square, before running towards the cluster of enemies atop the hill.

"Release!" Leliana shouted, and a volley of arrows slashed through the monsters ranks. A fireball, then a Walking Bomb, followed them. Unfortunately, this did little to slow the mob, which started up the path towards them. Several of the militia looked like they were ready to break and run.

"Stand your ground!" the local mage called, calling down a lightning strike on an Alpha that seemed to be leading the way. Will nodded, taking out an Emissary.

The first of the horde started to reach the barrier that Wynne had set up at the top of the hill, only to be repelled by the melee fighters among Will's party. Meanwhile, the archers and mages continued to fire into the mass.

This worked well until a roar shook the town, and a pair of Ogres stomped in along with reinforcements. One of the massive beasts hefted a bolder and threw it at the cluster of defenders. Wynne was able to shoot it out of the air, but Will realized that they couldn't hold this position much longer. Wynne seemed to have the same idea as she reinforced the barrier.

"Pull back to the second position!" Will shouted, and the militia seemed more than happy to comply as cracks started appearing in the wall.

"Matthias!" a young woman shouted as she sprinted over to join them.

"Eirika?" the mage asked, stunned. "What are you doing here? This is dangerous!" She stopped, panting.

"I brought you this!" she said, holding out a short rod. Matthias paused, glaring at it.

"No, Eirika!" he hissed. "I swore to Mother that that damn thing would never walk again!" The young woman sighed.

"Would you rather we all died, 'cause that is a very real possibility. I hate that thing as much as you do, but we don't have a choice." Matthias looked like he was going to continue arguing, but then the barrier was smashed by the ogres, and the darkspawn started pouring through.

"Fine, give it to me!" he muttered, and he then held up the rod. "_Dulen harn!_"

There was a loud crunching noise as the statue that was standing nearby suddenly started moving. Will had not paid much attention too it previously, it looked rather battered, and was almost three feet taller than he was and much wider. Its arms, previously raised as if chained, jerked free with a grinding of stone on stone. The darkspawn seemed to pause for a moment, before charging forward again.

"Kill them!" Matthias commanded, pointing his rod at the darkspawn. The golem roared, its powerful voice forcing the enemy back before it stomped forward. One of the ogres raised its fist to strike the stone warrior, but fell as its knee was shattered with a massive punch, before being killed with an uppercut. Will, meanwhile, had focused his power on the second ogre and killing it. A pair of Emissaries started charging up balls of energy, only to be interrupted by an arrow from Leliana and a blast of ice from Morrigan. The militia, meanwhile, were continuing to fire into the hoard, who were focusing all their attention on the golem that was smashing its way through their ranks, tossing darkspawn aside like ragdolls. Zelda, Alistair, and Sten all rushed forward to support its charge, and were backed up by the rest of the party. Most of the darkspawn simply couldn't harm the stone figure, any Emissaries or Alphas with large weapons were taken down long before they reached the golem.

Matthias suddenly grunted as an arrow hit him in the shoulder. The rod fell from his hand, and one of the militia stepped on it. The golem froze.

"Oh sod…" Will muttered, glancing at the suddenly impotent statue. A nearby Genlock, obviously sensing an opportunity, lunged forward and smashed its mace into the stone leg. This seemed to be a mistake, however, as the golem shook itself and punted the tiny darkspawn down the hill.

"**Death to all pigeons!**" the golem roared, dashing forward again and continuing its slaughter.

"Wait… What?" Alistair asked, pausing to stare at the golem. Will shrugged, tossing another fireball. There were more important things to do than consider the illogical battle cry. So long as the golem kept fighting, he didn't care what it had to say.

The battle was soon concluded, with the golem taking almost all the fire away from the flesh-based warriors, who responded to this kindness by eliminating those darkspawn that the golem didn't or couldn't. What little was left of the Darkspawn attack force was soon fleeing south.

"Excellent." Matthias said, having already gotten rid of the arrow wound. "Now, golem, go back up there." The golem didn't move.

"Well, this is interesting." It looked at Matthias with it's shining, pupiless eyes. "I hear its voice, see the rod, but feel no compulsion to carry out its orders." The golem took a step forward, then backwards. "Nope, nothing preventing me from doing whatever pleases me." Matthias seemed to be panicking.

"_Dulef gar_!" he cried, pointing the rod at the golem, which snickered.

"I'm afraid that won't work if the rod doesn't." It stepped towards Matthias, who backed away fearfully. "Its head looks so soft, so easily crushed. It reminds me of my former master. Why isn't it here?"

"Of coarse father isn't here, you monster!" Matthias hissed, glaring at the golem. "You killed him!" The golem blinked.

"It's dead?" Matthias nodded slowly, still glaring at the golem. "That is… interesting." It shrugged, glancing around. "I would have thought I would remember such a momentous occasion." With that, it lapsed into silence, seeming to ponder the situation.

"What's going on?" Will asked quietly, gesturing at the golem. Matthias cursed.

"My father was an Enchanter, who was allowed some freedom by virtue of being in the employ of the Arl of Redcliffe. In his travels, he found a golem, which he then brought back. The two of them served well during the rebellion against Orlais, and returned here." He scowled. "Then, one day, Mother and I came out of our house to find it just standing over my father's body, crushed almost beyond recognition. It was obvious that thing had killed him, but we couldn't damage it. Golems have a natural ability to repair themselves, so long as they are not completely destroyed, they will rebuild. So we just moved the damn thing and tried to forget about it." He tossed the rod to the ground, cursing some more. "Now the blasted thing's moving again, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Will said quietly, before carefully walking towards the golem. It glanced up at his approach.

"Oh, the other mage." It tilted its head slightly. "I don't recall ever seeing it before, why is it here?" Will shrugged.

"We're just passing through, heading towards the Brecilian Forest."

"Why would it want to go to such a hazardous place? There are many of the damned feathered fiends that lurk in that forest." Will raised an eyebrow.

"'Damned feathered fiends?' You mean birds?" The golem nodded.

"Yes, them! When the villagers left me in the square, the horrible creatures took great pleasure in perching on me and defecating on my helpless form! Why, were it not for some mildly tolerable members of the society who took mercy on me and cleaned me off, I would be completely covered! I would not be able to bear the shame!" Will couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "It finds my plight funny, does it?"

"No, not in the way you think." Will said. "It's just, you look so big and strong, I would have thought that something as small as a bird would barely attract your attention." The bird hating being bristled.

"It have not had to stand perfectly still for many years being constantly pelted! I invite it to try!" Will shook his head.

"I'll pass. I'm afraid I have to focus on defeating the Darkspawn, like the ones you so nicely cleaned up." The golem paused.

"I wondered about that. I… remember flashes, remember how to kill them. I… have fought them before, though I remember little of it." Will nodded. Golems were Dwarven constructs, so it made sense that this one would be a powerful darkspawn slayer.

"So, what are you going to do. The rod doesn't work on you anymore, so you get to make your own way." The golem paused.

"It… makes an interesting point. I have not thought about what I will do, now that I have free will." Will sensed an opportunity.

"You could come with us. We could always use another warrior, especially one of your caliber." The golem lapsed into silence, obviously considering Will's offer.

"Are you sure it's wise to bring that… thing, with us?" Alistair asked slowly. "It looks quite large." Will nodded.

"That's the point, Alistair. You saw what it did to those darkspawn." Alistair nodded slowly.

"I agree with Warden Surana." Zelda said quietly. "This golem will be a great help if it agrees to accompany us." Will nodded, continuing to watch the golem, waiting for it to finally come to a decision.

"Oh, why not?" it said finally, shrugging. "It's not like I have anything better to do with my time than wander around with it and its companions for a while. I assume it is a Grey Warden, I remember they being the creatures that went on foolish marches against the Darkspawn." Will nodded, smiling.

"Thank you. What's your name?" The golem looked slightly taken aback.

"It wishes to know my name? It won't simply call me 'golem', like my former master did? 'Golem, go fetch that chair' he would say. 'Be a good golem and squash that insipid bandit.' And the o so loved 'Golem, pick me up, I tire of walking.'"

"Why would I just call you that? You're working with us now." Will said reasonably.

"Yes, I suppose I am. I guess it can call me Shale, if it must." Will raised an eyebrow at that.

"Is that actually your name, or just a pun you're using?" Shale shrugged.

"I am uncertain. I have little memory of my past, being stuck in the middle of a village tends to cause gaps in long-term memory. It will suffice, no?" Will nodded.

"Fine." Matthias muttered. "If you want to keep the damn thing, go ahead. See if it splatters you against the ground next." He glanced around the village, which was in shambles despite the relatively short battle that had taken place. "Now what do we do. The horde isn't likely to simply give up." Alistair nodded.

"Yes, that was likely just a scouting band. I'm afraid it is probably not safe for you to stay here any longer." There were scattered mutters among the militia who were still around, and Will got the feeling that this idea wasn't particularly popular. Matthias, it seemed, noticed as well.

"He's right, people. We don't have a choice." He turned back to Will. "Thank you for your assistance, but if the golem is staying with you, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. We cannot trust that thing." Will bristled slightly, but recognized that the man had a point. Nodding curtly, he turned and led the way out of town.

The group soon found a small clearing in a nearby glen and decided that it would be as good a place as any to camp. As they set up their tents, Will watched Shale.

"Sir Zelda, a moment please." The Templar nodded to him. "You have first watch. Please keep an eye on Shale. Better safe than sorry."

* * *

><p>Loghain Mac Tir stood at the top of the small knoll overlooking the Hafter River, gazing towards the army of Bann Narmer. His own army was arrayed against the entrenched nobleman, just waiting for the order to strike.<p>

A horseman rode up to Loghain and swiftly dismounted. He bowed briefly before approaching his lord.

"Do you have the Bann's answer?" Loghain asked quietly. He had already guessed what it would be, but he still held on to the faint hope that Bann Narmer would see reason.

"I do, your Grace." The soldier shook his head slightly. "The Bann says that he will never bow to you, and that if any of your soldiers take a single step into his lands, he will consider it an act of war." Loghain cursed under his breath. Once again, the fools were forcing him to defeat them rather than simply fall in with him. He gestured to another of his lieutenants.

"Get the army moving. Let's end this quickly and with minimal fuss." The man nodded before grabbing his horn and blowing out a single long note. Another horn sounded from the army, which started marching steadily towards the Bann's men.

"My Lord! Sir!" Loghain turned, surprised, as Sir Cauthrien jogged up towards him.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be watching for any flanking attack." The younger woman nodded.

"I was, my lord. Then, an elf came up to my detachment, claiming that he had important information from Redcliffe. He said his name was Berwick." Loghain nodded, before glancing back at the battle.

"Send him up." The Bann's archers had started shooting into his men, who had raised their shields in response. He glanced briefly towards the small forest near the Bann's forces on the opposite side from the river, then into the distance behind the position. It wouldn't be long now.

"My Lord?" Loghain looked back at the nervous elf. Berwick was the son of one of the few Night Elves who survived the Rebellion, and thus one of the few people Loghain really trusted.

"Agent Berwick." He kept his voice calm, the elf seemed ready to break and run at any moment. His news was likely not going to be to Loghain's liking, but there was no sense in getting angry before he heard what was going on. "You bring news, I assume. Has anything happened at Redcliffe?"

"Yes, my Lord." Berwick said, glancing out at the battle. Bann Narmer's men were still hammering Loghain's troops, but there was a sudden outcry from the defenders as arrows started pouring out from the trees onto their flank. Then, another horn sounded from behind them, and a regiment of Loghain's cavalry charged from the rear. Loghain had realized that Bann Narmer, a very stubborn man, would likely not accept his terms. Therefore, last night, he had dispatched a few divisions of medium infantry and archers to the forest, leaving their fires lit so as to convince the Bann that all was still well. He had also sent half of his cavalry to ford the river and circle around behind the enemy. Loghain now had a complete surround of the Bann's force, and that combined with his superior numbers would be more than enough to carry the day. If, somehow, Bann Narmer were able to pull off some kind of sneaky maneuver, Loghain still had half his cavalry to counter it.

"Well?" Loghain prompted after a moment of silence. Berwick shook himself.

"Sorry, my Lord." Loghain shook his head. The boy was fairly young, he recalled debating with himself as to whether to send him, or one of his more experienced agents. He had consoled himself that nothing interesting was likely to happen, the agent had just been there in the off chance that something had gone wrong and Arl Eamon had need the cure earlier than expected. Loghain didn't want the man dead, just out of the way while he re-unified Fereldan and drove back the Darkspawn. "Well, Redcliffe is… mostly undamaged, it could have been worse." Loghain furrowed his eyebrows, what could possibly have happened. "Corpses, my lord. Redcliffe was attacked by the walking dead."

"What?" Loghain hissed, even more confused. Where did walking corpses come into the equation?

"I did a bit of poking around after the fact, my lord. It seems that a demon somehow got a foothold in the castle, and started sending an army of corpses out. Bann Teagan of Rainesfere arrived at some point, and was able to hold out for a while, until the Grey Wardens arrived."

Loghain tensed at those words. "The Grey Wardens were there, in Redcliffe?" 'What are they up too?' he thought, staring out at the battle as he pondered. The Bann's forces were still fighting, even though it was clear who was going to win. 'And why is that fool wasting our forces with this pointless struggle?'

"Yes, my lord." Berwick said nervously. "And it's probably a good thing for the village that they were. It's thanks to them that the undead, and then the demon itself, were defeated." Loghain blinked, that was even more unexpected.

"How did two young Wardens defeat an entire undead horde?" he asked. If they could do that, then it was possible the Crow he and Howe hired was out of his league.

"Well, it wasn't just the two of them, my lord." Berwick said. "There were several others helping them, though I don't think they were Wardens themselves. They had a Qunari with them, as well as an apostate and an Orlesian archer." Loghain's ears perked.

"An Orlesian. Describe him." Berwick shook his head.

"Her, my lord. She's human, very good with a bow, much better than I am. She's also very observant." He shuffled his feet. "She… noticed me watching, and seemed to piece together what I was. The main Warden came over and… had a talk with me." Loghain's eyes narrowed.

"How are you still here, if they knew you were working for me." A female Orlesian, talented and observant. That sounded an awful lot like Katriel, that damned bard who had almost single-handedly destroyed the revolution at the West Hill. 'It seems that the Orlesians are serious about retaking Fereldan if they're sending their Bards in.'

"The Warden wanted me to help with the defense, that last night." Berwick said. "He was willing to let me live so long as I remained useful to him. Afterwards, he was so busy going to the Circle that he must have forgotten about me."

"What would the Wardens want with the Circle?" Loghain asked, confused. None the least because he still hadn't heard anything from Uldred. If the Wardens had gone there, he should have seen to it that they were dealt with.

"Probably something to do with the demon, my lord." Berwick answered. "They came back with the First Enchanter and some others. Well, one Warden, the one in armor, came back. The other showed up a short time later. He didn't look so good, he was limping pretty badly." Berwick shrugged. "That's all I know, my lord. I decided it would be best to come tell you what I know, before the Warden decided to have me killed."

Loghain stood, pondering for a moment. The armored Warden must mean Maric's bastard, but the other… "Describe the lead Warden to me, Berwick." Know thy enemy.

"Well, he's an elf, and a mage." Berwick said slowly, thinking. "He's pretty smart, and persuasive, he talked several people in Redcliffe into helping that the mayor had been trying to persuade ever since the siege started. He's powerful, made a real difference in the battle." Berwick shrugged. "Other than that, I'm not really sure, he didn't talk to me for very long. Certainly made an impression, though. Everyone in Redcliffe's calling him a hero."

"Do you know his name?" Loghain asked.

"William Surana, my lord." Loghain nodded. It was certainly the one who had been with Duncan at the planning session for that last battle, which meant he knew about the battle plan. Loghain found himself wishing he had paid a bit more attention to the young Warden, but he had never considered that the boy might become the main opposition against him. "What of Arl Eamon? Is he still out?" Berwick nodded. "Well, at least the plan is still holding together. What of Bann Teagan?"

"He's still alive, my lord, and I guess he's going to take care of Redcliffe of the time being." Which meant he would be unable to directly aid the traitors for the moment, at least. That was something.

"Very well, you've done well, Agent Berwick." The elf glanced at Loghain. He had obviously been worried that Loghain would be angry with him, but Loghain understood that he had done all he could. What had gone wrong with the plan had been out of his control. "Return to Denerim, I'll find another assignment for you soon." The elf bowed quickly and left. Loghain sighed, turning back to the battle. It was all but over, with the Bann's forces smashed. As always, there was a cluster of men who had wisely thrown down their arms, they would be re-folded into the army in due time. The majority of the force, however, had chosen to die with their lord. A shame.

Loghain's thoughts then turned back to his unexpected opponent. The Grey Wardens may turn out to be a greater threat than he had anticipated. If the Crow did indeed fail, then he would have to come up with another plan to eliminate them. Of course, now that a Bard was involved in the situation, this would be much more difficult.

But no matter. Loghain had face more dangerous threats to his nation before, and he would defeat this one as he had defeated the others: swiftly, firmly, and utterly.

(Codex: Golems)

Once a crucial part of Orzammar's defenses, golems have all but vanished as the secret to their manufacture was lost over a thousand years ago. What few golems remain are guarded closely by the Shaperate, brought out when the battle with the darkspawn grows desperate enough to risk their loss. No one now would sell a golem for any price, but in ancient times, dwarves sold many golems to the magister lords of Tevinter.

They are devastating weapons in war, living siege engines, capable of hurling boulders like a catapult or plowing through enemy lines like an earthquake.

AN: I know what many of you are probably thinking: How could I possible kill Zevran. I personally like him. However, from Will's perspective, he is an enemy, plain and simple. He tried to kill the group once, and Will cannot trust a single word that he says. Therefore, the safest option is to simply eliminate him. We the players know that Zevran only betrays you if you don't get his approval up, but Will doesn't. Hope I didn't turn too many of you against the story.


	15. Howls of the Forest's Heart

Reviewer Response:

Agent 94: The flashback was just due to personal preference, but I'll see if I can cut back. Will doesn't want to split the party up, without any ability to communicate; the two groups might be picked off separately, or one might need to go a different way, or any number of other problems that come from separating. Don't worry, they will go to Denerim, and there are several personal missions for the group that will happen in the immediate future. About Zevran, it's not in Will's nature to be that forgiving, especially when he has absolutely no reason to believe Zevran. I don't want to do anything contrary to what Will would do.

Chapter 14: Howls of the Forest's Heart

Will paused again, silently cursing the forest. How the Dalish Elves felt comfortable among these damn trees was baffling. When he wasn't almost tripping over his robes, he was wondering if the party was going in senseless circles because everything looked exactly the same. If he ever got separated, he didn't think he'd be able to find his way out again.

Morrigan insisted that she had found a trail that was made by people rather than animals, and Will knew that she was far more likely to recognize this than he was, so he let her take the lead. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she really knew where she was going. He held his tongue, since she had snapped at Alistair when he had asked the same question and well as insinuating that even if she did, she was making this deliberately difficult.

His musings were interrupted by Morrigan raising her hand, obviously concentrating. Will paused as well, letting the sound of the forest flow over him.

"What is it?" he whispered. "I don't hear anything." Morrigan nodded.

"That's the problem," she hissed back. "We must be careful." Will glanced at Leliana, who was also looking concerned. He took his staff out, still listening for what had worried Morrigan.

He almost didn't turn in time as Thunder started barking. Suddenly the path they were on was alive with howling and snarling. Will reacted instinctively, blasting the large, strangely shaped animal that dashed towards him. It roared in pain, but continued towards him. Will jerked back, before creating a fire blade on his staff and impaling the beast. It died, but the momentum bowled Will over, pinning him to the ground. Fortunately, one of his hands was free, and he used that to cast another Arcane Bolt.

Shale was faring well, having smashed two enemies aside with his massive fists. Sten was also having success, his massive sword cleaving one of the beasts in two. The rest of the party was having more problems. Zelda and Alistair were fighting back to back, their heavy Templar armor keeping them safe but also hindering their attacks. Thunder was still barking and snarling, circling with one of the beasts. Morrigan had taken the form of a bear and was swatting at another, but the damn things were just so _fast_. Leliana had shot one before being forced to draw her daggers, but was retreating from the long-armed creatures. One tried to pounce on her, but Wynne was able to catch it with a Stone Fist. Will lit another on fire as it tried to finish him off, and was surprised to see the general face of a wolf on the beasts head. These things were far bigger than any wolf Will had read about, and walked on their hind legs. What was it?

Alistair stepped forward, smashing one of the enemies in the face with his shield before gutting it. Zelda concentrated for a moment, lashing out with a Holy Smite. Though these things were not mages, the attack still caused the three animals that were caught in the blast to stumble back, roaring in pain. Morrigan's paw finally connected, throwing her target aside. Thunder, meanwhile, finally engaged his opponent in a wrestling match by catching its arm in his jaws, holding on even as the beast clawed at him. Will paused for a moment, taking aim, before catching the beast in the head with an Arcane Bolt. Meanwhile, Sten and Shale had moved to assist Wynne, who had been forced to erect a series of barriers to hold off the last few. Within moments, the battle was over.

Alistair quickly moved to push the carcass off from Will, who hadn't been able to move it on his own. "What were those things?" he asked. Will shook his head.

"They were werewolves." Wynne said quietly, studying one of the corpses intently. "I never thought I would get to see one, they were all supposedly killed centuries ago, or a myth."

"Yeah, well these things look pretty real to me, shem," another voice interrupted. Will spun around to see a group of tattooed elves standing nearby, their bows drawn. "Now would you mind telling us what you lot are doing near our camp?"

Will slowly raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Dalish, I presume?" The woman nodded, her face softening slightly as she noticed his ears.

"Indeed." She gestured to him. "You may pass, you are of the People." She glared around. "The rest of you, clear off before I become impatient. Your kind is not welcome here."

Will spoke up again. "Listen, please. We're here on Grey Warden business, and we need to speak to your Keeper." When he had been younger, Will had studied what little Dalish lore the Templar had allowed in the Tower. He hoped that nothing too important had been left out, but accepted that there probably was.

"Grey Warden?" the elf asked suspiciously, glaring around. "I must admit, that is not a lie many would attempt." Will restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

"That would be because we're not lying." The Dalish studied him thoughtfully, before gesturing to the others to lower their bows.

"Very well, we will take you to Keeper Zathrian. Just you, until he says otherwise. We can't have random shems wandering around our camp." Alistair looked like he was about to object, but Will waved him down.

"We need their help, Alistair," he said quietly. "That means that, for the moment, we play by their rules." He gestured for Thunder to join him. "Let's go." The Dalish nodded, before turning and leading the way deeper into the forest.

After another confusing journey, though this one much shorter, Will found himself in a wide clearing filled with landships. These were the traditional means of travel for the Dalish elves, camps on wheels. Dalish glanced up from various tasks, studying Will curiously. Finally, one approached. She was a middle-aged woman, and carried a staff. Will knew that the Dalish had mages; the Templar had launched several expeditions to capture one. He had never heard of them succeeding, however.

"Andaran atish'an, brother." Her voice was gentle, but Will noticed that she sounded tired. "My name is Lanaya, Keeper Zathrian's first. I am sorry, but you have come at a bad time."

"He claims he's not here to join," the woman who found Will said. "He says he's a Grey Warden, here to talk to the Keeper." Lanaya looked surprised.

"Indeed?" she asked, and Will nodded. "I shall take you to see the Keeper, though I'm afraid you are not likely to find what you seek here." She nodded to the other Dalish. "You may return to your post. Dareth shiral, Mira. Ma serannas."

"Ma nuvenin." Mira said, bowing her head before turning away. Lanaya turned and quietly headed towards on of the aravels. Will looked around, noticing that there were actually not very many elves around.

"Has something happened?" he asked quietly, trying not to disturb anything. Lanaya turned slightly to look at him.

"I'm afraid so." Her voice shook slightly. "I'm sure that Keeper Zathrian will tell you more." She then turned back, avoiding his eyes. After a moment, they reached the aravel. Another elf was sitting outside, his face in his hands. He was bald, and obviously very old. He also carried a staff, and Will could feel power emanating off from him. This must be Keeper Zathrian.

"I see you've brought a visitor. A Warden, no less." Zathrian said, not bothering to look up. Lanaya didn't react; obviously Zathrian did this kind of thing a lot, though Will had to wonder how he knew all that. Thunder started growling quietly, but Will silenced him with a pat. No sense in antagonizing people.

"Indeed, Keeper," she said, bowing slightly. Zathrian finally looked up, meeting Will's eyes.

"I assume you are here about the Blight in the south, Warden." He smiled grimly at Will's surprised expression. "Yes, I do know about that, I sensed the land being corrupted, just as I sensed your corruption." He sighed. "If I had my way, I would have taken my clan further north, but I cannot for the same reason that I cannot honor the treaty you are likely here to invoke."

"Um… No offense, Keeper, but this omniscience is getting a bit creepy." Will said slowly. Zathrian sighed again.

"My apologies, Warden. I have had… a stressfully time, recently. Still, I shouldn't be taking it out on you." He stood, glancing at Lanaya. "Do we have any more of that ointment I made left?" She nodded, holding up the packet she had been carrying.

"Yes, Keeper, but this is the last." Zathrian sighed, before turning back to Will.

"I guess you are wondering what is going on here. Come, I will show you." He turned and set off behind the aravel, followed by Will and Lanaya.

Will had to stop himself from cursing as he rounded the corner. Laid out before him, on what was probably every raised surface in the camp, were dozens of elves. Many had bandages wrapped around various parts of their bodies, and most were groaning and crying out. A few, however, were frighteningly still. Lanaya quickly moved to the nearest injured elf, while Zathrian slowly walked to one of the motionless ones. He gently touched the young woman's neck, feeling for a pulse, before sighing and turning back to Will.

"These are our hunters, Warden," he said. "Normally, they are the ones who defend the camp and patrol the surrounding area. They are also the ones who would be fighting at your side against the Blight." He turned back, looking out at them. "Unfortunately, as you can see, they are in no position to be doing anything."

"What happened?" Will asked, looking around.

"Werewolves." Zathrian spat. "We have come to this forest before, and knew of their presence. But we always took precautions." He bowed his head. "This time was… different. They ambushed us, even though I never suspected they would have the intelligence to do so. We drove them back, but the wounds our hunters took carried lycanthropy, leading to what you see here."

"So… they are going to become werewolves?" Will asked in horror. He could think of few fates worse than becoming a monster like that.

"Only the unfortunate ones. Most will simply die." Zathrian said. "I am doing all I can for them, but there is only one cure for this disease, and it is beyond my reach."

"What is it, maybe I can help." Will said desperately. Zathrian studied him.

"I'm not sure you would fair much better. I cannot afford to send any more hunters out, and a lone Warden, even a mage, would not last long in this place. Especially not with werewolves on the loose."

"I'm not actually alone, your hunters just didn't want to let the others come to the camp until you said otherwise." Zathrian nodded, muttering something Will couldn't hear.

"Very well, Warden. I see little choice but to trust that you can make a difference." He turned back to Will. "The werewolves' curse originates from a great white wolf called Witherfang. The only thing that can end the curse is this wolf's heart. Get that for me, and we will be able to honor the agreement we made with the Wardens of the past."

"Any advice on where I should start looking?" Will asked.

"There is a ruin near the heart of the forest, dating back to the time of Arlathan. Witherfang is known to frequent it. That is where I would begin." He turned back to his patients. "Speak to Mira, she's the highest ranking hunter left. She will give you directions to the ruins. Now, I must return to my charges."

Will nodded slowly, before turning and heading back the way that he had come. Once again, the members of the Dalish clan watched him, obviously trying to figure out what his business was. He noticed Mira leaning against a tree not far from where they had entered the camp. She glanced up at him and walked over.

"So, what now?"

"Keeper Zathrian said that you could tell me where the ruin that Witherfang lives in is." She raised her eyebrows at that.

"You aren't… thinking of going after that monster, are you?" Will nodded, and Mira gasped. "You would really do that? You are more courageous than I thought." She drew herself up. "I would go with you, but the Keeper has forbade any from leaving the camp without his express permission. I will get you one of the maps we have of the area. I will warn you, however, that the map is imperfect. This forest is setheneran, a place of waking dreams. The Beyond is intertwined, and the forest is unpredictable because of it." Will nodded.

"I'm going to need the rest of my group as well. I promise that they'll behave." Mira bristled for a moment, before sighing.

"I guess it would be too much to ask that the shems all stay away, but if your going to help us, I guess it's alright. Just make sure they understand that we will be watching them very carefully. And try to keep them away as much as possible. Wait here, I'll get them."

As Will waited for the rest of the party to arrive, he mused on one of the good things about the Circle. There, the fact that he was an elf mattered little. The Templar already mistrusted him because he was a mage, and other mages mostly understood that there were more important things to worry about than ear shape. The Dalish, however, must have the fact that they were different from the dominant race in Thedas rubbed in their faces all the time, so it was only natural that they would be defensive.

A couple of minutes later, Mira returned with the others, along with the members of her patrol that she left to watch them. Will then used the time it took Mira to get the map they needed to fill them in on the situation.

"So we're going to be hunting the progenitor of a pack of werewolves, who defeated a group of Dalish elves." Morrigan said, smirking. She then turned to Leliana. "I seem to remember you saying something about the Dalish being easy to convince, hmm?" Leliana sighed.

"Forgive me, Morrigan, for not predicting an attack by werewolves. Obviously I need to be more paranoid." Will couldn't help but chuckle slightly, Leliana rarely rose to Morrigan's barbs, but when she did it was generally amusing.

"Here you are, Warden." Mira said as she returned. "Also… can I ask a favor of you?" Will nodded. "Back when this mess started, the Keeper sent a patrol out to try and recover Witherfang's heart, but they never returned. If you find any sign of them, would you please bring them home?"

"We will." With that, Will led his party out of the camp, heading towards the ruins.

* * *

><p>Zelda continued to silently observe the witch that was leading the way through the forest by the map that the Dalish had provided. She still didn't like the idea of letting a potentially dangerous apostate walk free, but she had claimed sanctuary among the Wardens, which meant that, for the moment, Zelda had to tolerate her.<p>

The group was moving carefully, with William's mabari circling them, flitting in and out of the trees. Zelda remembered hearing of the legends of mabari being early Fereldan's greatest defense against werewolves, and judging by the way he barked, it seemed that there was some truth to this.

As if to prove her point, Thunder started snarling, pulling back to the rest of the group. Looking carefully, Zelda saw several shapes moving swiftly towards them. She drew her sword and shield, bracing herself to meet the charge with a whispered prayer. Surprisingly, the first attack was a pack of normal wolves, which threw themselves at the tensed party. Zelda coolly slashed one and smashed a second with her shield. A fireball flew over her head, wiping out another group. All around the circle, the wolves died trying to break the party up for the werewolves that followed behind them. Zelda had a bit more trouble with the larger, more vicious animal that came at her next, but once again her shield deflected the claws with an ear-piercing screech and she took the enemy's head off.

Shale snickered as a pair of werewolves tried to run around him, only to have their snouts smashed flat by his fists. Another tried to tackle Leliana, but was shot right between the eyes. Alistair was having some problems as three beasts tried to overwhelmed him, but Sten and Wynne moved to aid him, each killing one of his opponents and giving him the space to finish off the last. The last werewolf, surprisingly, turned and ran.

"What's going on?" Leliana asked worriedly, glancing around. "I thought werewolves were supposed to be mindlessly violent." Zelda nodded, the fact that the werewolves were not only smart enough to get natural wolves to join in their attack, but also realize when it was best to pull back… boded ill.

"It doesn't matter." William said finally. "Let's press on." He started forward, but Thunder barked before pressing his nose to the ground. "What is it, boy?" The dog, obviously, couldn't answer, so he simply moved forward, still sniffing at the ground.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Leliana said. William nodded, slowly walking after the mabari. The dog continued walking carefully along, and soon Zelda notice what he was following: a blood trail.

"Oh Maker…" Wynne whispered as they reached the end of the trail. Scattered around another small clearing was a mass of elven bodies. The grass was stained red with all the blood, and some of the hunters seemed to be in multiple pieces. Zelda had to fight down the urge to vomit; she couldn't even tell how many hunters there had been. William cursed under his breath as he struck down a crow that had been picking at one of the bodies

"What now?" Zelda asked quietly, crouching down next to one of the bodies, not able to bring herself to touch the mauled face. "Should we burn them? Bury them?"

"Leave them, for the time being." William said quietly. Zelda glanced up in shock; surely he couldn't actually mean to just leave them here to rot! "There's nothing we can do for them now," he continued, noticing the disgusted expressions. "Besides, we need to help the elves that are suffering right now." He sighed. "We'll remember where this… place… is, so the elves can come and… claim the bodies."

Zelda nodded slowly, he made sense, even though the thought of just abandoning the corpses sickened her. Marshalling her courage, she reached forward and closed the remaining eye of the dead elf and whispered a quiet prayer for him.

"Wait." Alistair said. "There are darkspawn nearby. Not many, and something's… off about them, but there are darkspawn." William paused for a moment, his eyes distant. He almost looked like mages did when they were reaching into the Fade, but if Alistair could do it too, then it had to be something else. It was probably some secret Grey Warden skill.

"That's bad." William said finally, coming back to himself. "We should go take a look, make sure that they won't be a problem."

Alistair took the lead, carefully pushing through the brush. Zelda considered this development. The memories of the nightmarish faces, the senseless brutality, she had witnessed in Honnleath crept back, causing a chill to go down her spine.

A few tense minutes later, the party found the Darkspawn, or at least what was left of them. They were almost as bad off as the hunters had been, but in a different way. While the Dalish had been clawed at, bitten, and obviously killed by animals, these things seemed to have been crushed more than anything. Heads were squashed flat, chests caved in, limbs shattered.

"Did the werewolves do this, too?" Leliana asked warily, grimacing at the smell. Sten the Qunari shook his head.

"Impossible," he said simply. "Their wounds were not made by claw or fang. They were crushed, bludgeoned, or ripped apart. Not even the beasts we faced are strong enough to do that, not to Darkspawn."

"If the werewolves didn't kill them, then what did?" William asked, glancing around warily.

He was answered by a roar from the other side of the clearing, as a tree uprooted itself. Its branches creaked as they reached out, forming into massive, deadly hands. A face forced itself out of the trunk, eyes blazing horribly.

"Sylvan." Zelda whispered. Demons could possess more than just mages, though they were the preferred prey. Sylvans were trees possessed by the beings of the Fade, combining the deadly power of a demon with the resilience of nature. One of these abominations would certainly be more than a match for a small band of Darkspawn. Still, Zelda felt relieved. Demons were something she could deal with.

The Sylvan stomped towards the party, raising its branches threateningly. William hissed and responded by directing a wave of fire at the tree. Unfortunately, the demon with was more than strong enough to nullify his attack. Zelda nodded to Alistair, and the two Templar split up, wanting to drain some of the Sylvan's mana but knowing that if the branch hands got a hold of them, they would suffer the same fate as the Darkspawn. Sten drew his massive great sword; it would be one of the strongest weapons against the thick bark of the tree. William snapped a quick order for Thunder to pull back and watch for any other threats, obviously realizing that the dog would be of no help against the tree.

"Can you get another Inferno going, William?" Alistair asked, trying to Dispel the demon, before being forced back by a retaliatory swing.

"Even if I could, I would likely burn down half the forest. Doesn't seem worth it." William snarled in frustration, still trying to set the advancing tree on fire. He might have been having some effect, but it was not fast enough. The Sylvan raised its "hand", preparing to strike him, forcing him to retreat. Sten took the opportunity to drive his sword into the roots that were propelling the tree. Another keening cry filled the clearing and another set of branches reached down and tried to snatch the Qunari, missing by inches. Zelda planted her sword into the ground and focused her mind.

'Blessed are those who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter!' Feeling a sense of strength fill her, she raised her blade, casting a Holy Smite upon the Sylvan, which roared in agony as the cleansing light of the Maker washed over it. It turned on her in rage, hurt but not defeated.

"We need to get past its outer defenses if we're going to do anything!" Morrigan called, blasting another of the "legs" with ice to slow it down. William took the time to focus his fire into a magical lance, driving it towards the tree. It worked for a moment,

Wynne noticed that, while the Sylvan was defending itself from Will's attacks, it had let Morrigan partially freeze its leg. Though still mobile, it was now quite brittle. She exploited this with a Stone Fist, cracking the leg. Leliana, noticing what Wynne had done, broke the leg with a well-placed arrow.

"Keep at it, William!" Wynne shouted as Morrigan turned her attention to the second leg. Her ice was dispelled, but eventually, between William's relentless fire and Sten, Shale, Alistair, and Zelda's hit and run attacks, the leg was frozen and shattered in the same way as the first. This time, the Sylvan fell with a crash, leaving it helpless as the party battered through its defenses, eventually killing it.

"I would say that I hope we don't meet any more of those, but that isn't very likely, is it?" Alistair groaned. Zelda nodded, before turning at the sound of Thunder growling.

"You have got to be kidding me." William muttered. Five werewolves were standing silently just inside the trees. The one at the center of the line was a truly massive specimen, easily a foot taller than the rest, with a nasty scar across his face. He glared at the group with unbridled hatred.

"Our brother spoke truly." Zelda blinked, staring at the werewolf. Had it just… _spoken_? "Intruders have entered the forest, obviously sent by the treacherous Dalish." The wolf crouched, brandishing its razor sharp claws.

"What's going one here?" William asked, stepping forward. "I was not told that you were sentient." The werewolf snarled.

"Do not let our words fool you, we are beasts still, though we are not simple and mindless. Let that thought chill your soul."

"Who do I have the _enormous_ pleasure of speaking to?" William asked tauntingly. The other werewolves snarled at his sarcastic insult, but the leader waved them down impatiently.

"You speak to Swiftrunner, leader of the cursed tribe." He bared his teeth. "You have one chance; flee back to the Dalish, tell them you have failed. Tell them that we will gladly watch them suffer under the same curse that we have carried for too long."

"Why?" William asked. "Why did you call the Dalish treacherous. You attacked them without cause. Or is there something going on that I do not know about?"

"You know _nothing_!" Swiftrunner roared, slashing the air with his claws. "Flee, tell the Dalish of their doom, or we will destroy you!" Morrigan snorted.

"Did you see what we just did to that Sylvan? Besides, we outnumber you." Swiftrunner paused, considering the witch's statement.

"Very well, you get to live, for now." Swiftrunner stepped backing slowly into the forest, followed by his fellows. "The forest has eyes of its own; it will ensure that you do not find what you seek." With that, the werewolves turned and fled.

"Quick, Thunder, get their scent!" William hissed, starting forward. The mabari dashed to the point where Swiftrunner had stood, sniffing at the ground before raising his head in a victorious howl. "Hopefully, they'll lead us to Witherfang."

"And if they don't" Zelda asked. Everyone glanced at William.

"Then we'll head for the ruins, like we originally planned." Zelda nodded. She didn't have a better plan.

Thunder led the way through the trees. There was no sign of werewolves, or any other type of dangerous creature. The werewolves obviously didn't seem too worried about being followed, as they did not deviate from their course in the slightest. Zelda couldn't help but worry that this was not going to end well.

"Wait." Morrigan said suddenly. "I recognize this. It was on the map, this is the path to the ruins!" William nodded.

"Then we better hope that the werewolves are going to report to Witherfang, or we're out of leads." They continued along the path, with Thunder still leading the way. Eventually, however, they came to an obstacle.

"What is this?" Alistair asked, studying the wall of fog that obscured the path. Thunder wined quietly, pacing in front of it. Zelda narrowed her eyes; there was something wrong here.

"This feels like something a mage did, except much more powerful." She raised her hand slightly, trying to dispel it. For a moment, it seemed to have worked, but the fog rallied and covered up the wound she had made. Alistair tried as well, and had even less success.

"What now?" Wynne mused. "Both our chances at finding this Witherfang are behind this barrier." William paused, staring at the barrier.

"Well, Swiftrunner said that the forest had ways to keep us from finding what we seek. It's probable that Witherfang is, in fact, through this fog."

"Wonderful." Sten said. "Now how do we get through?" William glared at him for a moment, before sighing.

"I'm working on it, I'm working on it."

Thunder had kept pacing, seeming to search for a way through. Suddenly, he stopped, sniffing at the ground again. He whined to get everyone's attention.

"What is it?" William asked, crouching down. He touched the point that Thunder had been staring at. "Blood. How did this get here?" Thunder stepped back off the path, obviously wanting the group to follow him. William glanced back.

"We don't have a better plan." Leliana said quietly. "Let's see what Thunder's found." No one disagreed, and after a moment they followed the mabari.

Zelda half expected to find another pile of bodies at the end of this trail, but was surprised to only see a single werewolf, kneeling, obviously in great pain. Thunder didn't growl, he merely cocked his head in curiosity.

"Who…comes?" the werewolf asked, raising its head. "You… are not… Dalish." William slowly stepped forward.

"Why aren't you with the rest of your kind?" he asked. The werewolf moaned.

"They are… not yet… my kind." It looked at them. "I was… an elf, one of the Dalish." The wolf howled, pain racking its… her body. "Please… help me."

Wynne shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know of no cure for lycanthropy." The werewolf shook her head.

"I… know. The pain… is too much. Please… kill… me" Zelda flinched. Was this curse truly so horrible that someone would rather die than suffer it?

"What's your name?" William asked quietly, crouching down just outside the wolf's reach. She looked at him.

"Danyla," she whispered finally. "Please…" Will interrupted gently.

"Before I do, please help me. The werewolves are hiding behind some kind of fog barrier. Witherfang is with them. If I can get its heart, then the Keeper can end the curse. There are dozens of hunters in death's grip right now. Please, if you have any knowledge that can help."

"The Grand… Oak… can help you. It knows… much about the forest. It rests… there…" Danyla said finally, pointing. "That is all… I can tell you. Please… end my suffering."

"Is there anyone you want me to tell of your passing?" William asked quietly.

"My… husband. Athras. Take this… scarf. Tell him… I love him. Please…" William took the scarf, before gently reaching out with a tendril of magic.

"Be at peace," he said sadly, snapping the energy forward in a quick arc, killing Danyla swiftly. He stood after a moment of contemplation. "We have no other clues, let's see if this 'Grand Oak,' can be of any assistance."

"Yes, but let us take care. This 'Grand Oak' sounds like a Sylvan." Wynne said quietly. William nodded, before leading the way carefully in the direction that Danyla had pointed them. The path was relatively peaceful, though another Sylvan tried to kill them. Zelda was beginning to worry that that had been the Grand Oak before they reached a clearing.

In the center of the clearing was the biggest tree she had ever seen. Its leaves were golden, though Fereldan was still in summer. As the party entered the area, a sense of peace washed over them. Thunder panted slightly, flopping down. A gentle voice rumbled throughout the clearing.

"What manner of beast be thee that comes before this elder tree?" A face appeared in the tree, smiling slightly as it studied them. The Grand Oak did appear to be a Sylvan, but not a demonic one. The good spirits of the Fade rarely sought to venture out of it, but it seemed one had taken residence within the Bricillian Forest.

"Can't you see? We're all werewolves." William said, grinning up at the Grand Oak. It paused, studying them intently.

"How can that be?" it asked slowly. "I sense no curse in thee. Might it be, in fact, a lie? There is no point, why even try?" William shook his head.

"I'm joking." The tree seemed even more confused.

"Thoust finds humor in a lie? I cannot possibly imagine why." The Grand Oak seemed to shrug. "Though I suppose it matters not, so long as a joke is what you sought." The face smiled again. "Allow me a moment to welcome thee. I am the Grand Oak, sometimes the Elder Tree."

"Greetings. My name is William Surana." The tree nodded.

"Now, unless thou thinks it far too soon, might I ask of thee a boon?" Zelda raised an eyebrow, what could a Sylvan possible need from them?

"That depends on what you need." William said slowly. The Elder Tree nodded.

"I have but one desire, to solve a matter very dire. As I slept one early morn, a thief did come and steal an acorn."

"Is this… acorn special, in some way?" Alistair asked, cocking his head.

"All I have is my being, my seed. Without it, I am alone indeed."

William seemed to consider for a moment. "Actually, Grand Oak, we need your help as well. We need to get through the barrier to the ruins near here, to find the real werewolves. Would you know of any way through?" The Grand Oak nodded.

"In the center of the forest the weres do dwell, or so go the tales my fellows tell. But they cannot be followed there. The forest doth protect the weres." William nodded.

"So the forest itself has made the barrier. You're a tree, can you bypass it?" The tree paused.

"Perform the boon, as I asked, and I will reward you for the task. My wooden skin has some magic, see, and I could give a bit to thee. The forest would see thee as a tree, and no harm would come to thee." That sounded good to Zelda, and it seemed William agreed.

"Very well, the acorn for some of you wood?" The Grand Oak nodded.

"Go to the east, to seek the thief."

"Before I go, one last question." William said. "Why is it that you rhyme all the time?" The tree smiled

"I do not know. Why dost though not? Thy words seem plain, a mundane lot. Perhaps a poet's soul's in me." The Oak chuckled. "Does that make me a poet tree?" Everyone except Sten and Shale laughed a bit at that.

"We shall return." With that, the party left the clearing. Zelda shivered slightly, the rest of the forest seemed cold and dark in comparison to the Grand Oak's clearing. It must create some kind of nature aura. It must be a very powerful spirit in there.

"I wonder why the thief wanted the acorn." Wynne asked. "Unless it has some magical properties, it would be of little worth." Zelda shrugged. In her eyes, anyone who lived in this forest was likely insane or desperate.

"It does not matter." Sten rumbled. "We finally have a direction, let us follow it." They traveled in silence for a time, pausing only to defeat another group of werewolves. Finally, they found the thief they were looking for, or at least the only human being they had seen since entering the forest.

"Oh dear, oh dear! Not a werewolf and not a spirit even. What are the woods coming to?" the ancient looking man looked the party over. He was wearing dirty rags, and carried a wooden staff. Zelda's eyes narrowed, this man was likely an apostate, but there was something… else, about him. Thunder growled slightly, glaring at the man.

"What are you doing here in the forest?" William asked, stepping forward slightly. The elder man glared at him.

"Questions, questions, always questions!" he hissed, shaking his fist. "They say it was the questions that drove me mad, will they do the same for you?" Zelda raised an eyebrow, it seemed her guess at the thief's insanity was a valid one.

"What do you mean?" William asked. The man jumped slightly.

"Ask a question and you'll get a question, and give an answer and you will receive the same!"

"So… you want me to ask a question?" The man grinned.

"Wouldn't I have to ask a question first?"

"Isn't that a question?"

"Would you know a question if it was asked?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"I don't know, are you mocking me?" William sighed.

"Do you have a point, or are you just having a good time?"

"Didn't you start this, not me?"

"I'm pretty sure you declared the rules of our conversation." William answered, and the man nodded.

"Very good, very good. You're clever. But wait…" the hermit's eyes narrowed. "They sent you, didn't they? Ha! They'll never get me! NEVER!"

"Wait a moment." William said quickly. "Don't I get an answer now that I answered a question?" The hermit nodded.

"Yes, yes you do, which I just gave. Now answer my question!"

"Surely clarifications of the rules to a game I didn't know existed until a few moments ago shouldn't count?" William asked quickly.

"No, a question is a question is a question!" the hermit yelled, his mouth frothing slightly. William raised an eyebrow.

"If you insist. That's another answer you owe me, by the way. Now, before I answer your question, I must know who 'They' are." The man started giggling.

"Oh, yes, _They_ sent you after all! Yes they did!" He continued ranting for a few seconds, before suddenly stopping. "But it is your turn to ask, yes, ask away!"

"Ok, well, you're the one who took the Grand Oak's acorn, right?" The hermit jumped again.

Ahhhhhh, suddenly it all becomes clear, you here, the talking tree over there, it all makes sense now!" He glared around. "As a matter of fact, I do have that tree's acorn. I stole it and it was easy. Silly tree should have locked it up tighter. There you go, an answer. Now, it is my turn to ask a question." He studied William intently for a moment. "Yes, that will do, what is your name?"

"My name is William Surana. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, so you claim!" he shouted, pointing dramatically at William. "_They_ sent you, didn't they? You're tricky, trying to fool me, but I'm onto you!"

"Didn't we just say that the Grand Oak sent us?" Alistair asked, confused. Wynne whispered in his ear for a moment, and he nodded, though he still looked confused.

"I'm not talking to you!" the apostate shouted, frothing at the mouth again. He calmed as he turned back to William. "But it is your turn to ask, I dare you!"

"May we have the acorn?" William asked, not sounding particularly hopeful.

"If you want it, you'll have to trade for it, and nothing from that silly tree, no leaves or branches!" He paused, considering William again. "Very well, where were you born?"

If the warden was offended by this question, he didn't show it. "Denerim."

"Ha! Fiendishly clever of you to maintain this façade so long! But I'll see through you yet, mark my words!" Zelda heard Morrigan mutter something about how it was foolish to continue speaking to this lunatic. Zelda wondered if it was wrong of her to agree with the apostate.

"If it helps you sleep at night." William said, shrugging. "Now, what do you want for the acorn?"

"Hmm, that is a good question. Nothing you have looks… very…" He stopped, staring at William intensely. "Yes, that's it!" He dashed forward, pointing at William's pack. "I see a scarf, that is my price!" William tensed.

"I'm afraid you can't have that," he said icily. "That is for someone else. Is there something…" the man interrupted.

"NO! That is my price! Nothing else will do!"

"Just give it to him!" Morrigan hissed. "Let us be done with this nonsense, I feel like I am going to be sick."

"But we promised to return that." Leliana said quietly. "We can't just give it to this… person."

"Please." Wynne asked. "Can you just let us take the acorn back to the Grand Oak? It's very important to him."

"NO!" the hermit shouted, stepping protectively in front of a stump at the edge of the clearing. "It's mine now, that silly tree's acorn, mine! And unless you give me that scarf, you'll never get it! NEVER!"

"Look, is there no way to reason…" the madman started shouting again. As he did so, Zelda noticed that Leliana had disappeared from her side. She looked around for the archer, only to notice a slight ripple in the air by the stump. A few moments later, the Orlesian reappeared, holding the acorn up. She winked before flickering from sight again

William seemed to notice as well, because he interrupted the hermit's rant.

"Fine, you want it so bad, we'll leave you be." With that, he turned and left, leading the rest of the party back the way they came. Zelda walked backwards, making sure that the lunatic didn't try anything. He glared suspiciously after them; he obviously hadn't expected them to give in.

"Let's hurry," she said quietly. "I think he's suspicious." A shriek of rage sounded behind them. A moment later, the madman came rushing through the trees.

"THIEVES! ROBBERS!" he roared, waving his fists. "You stole my precious acorn! You'll pay for this outrage!"

Zelda shook her head. "Didn't you steal it from the Grand Oak in the first place. Rather hypocritical for you to be calling foul."

"I KILL YOU!" Before anyone could react, the hermit scratched his palm with his long nails, drawing blood. With a wave of his wounded hand, he summoned seven Shades.

"Blood mage!" Zelda hissed, drawing her blade. "You're evil ends here, maleficar!"

"Take care." Wynne said, stepping forward quickly. "Who knows how powerful this man is." The blood mage responded by grabbing his staff and shouting… something. The Shades swarmed forward. He hissed as he shielded himself from Leliana's first arrow, but fell back, crying out, as Zelda hit him with a Holy Smite. Six of the demons smashed into Shale, Sten, Alistair, and William and were beaten back. Wynne blasted the seventh away with a Stone Fist.

"NO!" the man screamed, his skin starting to boil. "YOU WILL NOT WIN!" A moment later, an Abomination rose to its feet, roaring. The roar was cut off as William burned its face with a blast of fire, and Alistair, who was closest, ducked under the fire and gutted the beast.

"Let's never talk to lunatic blood mages again." William muttered. "Still, we got the acorn, let's get out of here before something else goes wrong." However, it seemed that something else was meant to go wrong, as a short time later, Wynne started stumbling.

"Are you alright?" Leliana asked, moving to support the elder mage. She tried to nod, but stumbled again. William hurried over.

"What's this?" he muttered to himself, trying to heal the older mage, who looked like she could barely stand. "We need to find someplace for her to rest, I have no idea what's wrong with her."

"Hey, there's something over there." Alistair called, pointing through the trees. Zelda glanced up. Alistair was right, it looked like there was a small camp. A small voice in the back of her head wondered how that had come to be there, but she drowned it out. Wynne needed help.

"Let's go." William said, helping Leliana to support the comatose mage towards the camp. The rest of the party followed. As they entered the clearing, a sense of peace, similar to that in the Grand Oak's clearing filled Zelda.

"I don't remember this being here before." She glanced around, through the warm feeling of contentedness, something felt off.

"Right now, let's try and figure out what's wrong with Wynne." William said, laying the older mage down on a cloth spread near the remains of a fire. He started muttering, waving his glowing hands slowly. Morrigan crouched down nearby, though she didn't seem to be doing much to help.

Sten glanced around at the campsite. "No sign of a struggle. Strange, that this would just be abandoned." Zelda felt that she should agree, but it was just so… comfortable here.

Alistair seemed to agree with her. "The elven hunters didn't set this up, did they?" His voice was slightly slurred. "How strange. And yet it all just seems so… friendly. I want to do nothing but remain here…" There seemed to be something wrong with that, but Zelda couldn't figure out what.

"Too bad." William said coolly, still working on Wynne. "Once we get Wynne on her feet, we'll be moving on. Although…" He glanced up. "This does seem… pleasant."

"Indeed." Sten said, sitting down. "We should… rest."

Zelda felt the warmth embrace her. She sank to her knees, watching Morrigan slump to one side. Thunder was already curled up, snuffling in his sleep. William was trying to stay at Wynne's side, but he seemed to be fading as well. Something in the back of Zelda's mind was telling her to keep her eyes open, but it was so warm…

"Why do the fleshy ones all slumber?" Shale the Golem rumbled, stomping over to Zelda. "It was not tired until entering this camp. What is going on here?" Zelda stared up at the golem, wondering what was going on.

Suddenly, the warmth started to fade from the air. Zelda, barely awake, found herself surrounded by a chilling mist. A hiss filled the air. Shale turned, looking towards the edge of clearing. Zelda managed to look as well, even though her head felt like lead. A dark shape materialized from the shadows of the trees, slithering its way towards the sleeping party.

"Demon…" Zelda whispered, watching the Shade approach. How could she have fallen so easily to this creature? She had to get up, had to help Shale, who was moving to engage the demon. It was her duty as a Templar.

_"Feel your anger, initiate"_ A voice whispered from her past, from her training. "_Remember, you fight for the Maker against the evils of this world. Your anger at their transgressions will strengthen you, so long as you control it." _She snarled, concentrating. This… _thing_, would not defeat her!

The demon slipped past Shale, tripping him as it went. It paused when it saw Zelda pushing herself to her feet, drawing her sword and shield.

"Your evil ends here, demon!" The creature hissed, sounding like it was laughing at her. She growled, charging her sword with Templar energy. The Shade rose into the air before rushing at her with a bone-chilling screech. Zelda didn't flinch, coolly stepping aside and slashing the demon as it passed. It responded with a smack to the side of the helmet, knocking her aside. They stared at each other for a moment longer, both ignoring their injuries. Zelda then bowed her head and let her faith in the Maker guide her. The demon charged, only to be blasted backwards by her Holy Smite. As it reeled, she stepped forward, bringing her sword in a clean arc through the demon's neck.

"It fights well for a creature of flesh that was asleep mere moments ago." Shale rumbled, having managed to push himself to his feet. Zelda shrugged.

"It is a Templar's duty to be ready at all times," she said. "We may not always succeed in this ideal, but it remains." She looked around; the rest of the group was starting to stir. "These bones… This demon must have been here for decades, maybe even centuries. Maker only knows how many have fallen to its hunger." She glanced back at the stain on the ground where the demon had died. "It shall harm no one else."

The rest of the team rose after a few minutes, including Wynne. She shook her head, rubbing her temple

"I… what happened?" she asked.

"We were rather hoping you could answer that." William said, studying Wynne. "You just suddenly fainted. Are you alright?"

"I… I thought it was over." Wynne said, seeming to be speaking to herself more than anything. Zelda cocked her head, that didn't make any sense. "William, I… need to talk to you, after this is over." William nodded, looking concerned. Zelda glanced between them. She would have to figure out what was going on, here, seeing as it was her job to keep an eye on the mages in this little band. It took her a moment to realize that William was talking to her now.

"Nice job with the demon, by the way." She nodded, smiling slightly. The Warden gestured to the rest of the group. "Come, let's get back to the Grand Oak and hope he can deliver what he promised us."

The Grand Oak was waiting in his clearing, and glanced up as they entered. "My acorn is still gone, so I pray to thee. Has thou any news for me?" William nodded.

"Is this your acorn?" He held it out to the massive tree. A branch reached for him and delicately plucked the acorn from William's fingers. After a moment, a warm laugh filled the clearing.

"My joy soars to new heights indeed!" the tree called. "I am reunited with my seed!" The tree then started to shake. Zelda's hand twitched towards her sword, but the tree made no move to attack, simply dropping a long, slender branch, about the size of a staff. "As I promised, here it be. I hope its magic pleases thee. Keep this branch of mine with thee, and pass throughout the forest free."

"Thank you, Grand Oak." William said, bowing his head slightly before summoning the branch. He held it for a few moments, before turning and handing it to Morrigan. "You can probably put this to the best use, you're leading the way." The witch nodded, taking the branch gingerly.

"I wish thee well, my mortal friend." The Grand Oak said, smiling. "Thou brought my sadness to an end. May the sunlight find you, thy days be long, thy winters kind, and thy roots be strong."

"All that to you as well, Grand Oak." William said, before turning and heading back towards the forest barrier. They passed Danyla's body, soon reaching the mist.

"Let's see what this scrap of wood can do." Morrigan said, holding it up. As the branch approached, the fog faded away. "Very well, stay close. I am not sure how far the repelling power of this branch reaches."

It quickly became apparent that the entire group could not fit within the protection of the branch. So Morrigan took William, Zelda, Wynne, and Leliana first, before heading back to bring the others.

"It seems the forest was not vigilant enough." Zelda spun around to see Swiftrunner studying them, hate still shimmering in his gaze. "Still you come!"

"What, you thought we were just going to give up?" William said quietly, raising his staff. The werewolf was silent for a moment.

"I had thought the forest would be your end, but it seems you are stronger than we could have anticipated," he snarled. "The Dalish chose well. But you do not belong in this place, outsider! Leave now!" With his howl, several more werewolves walked up behind him.

"Why don't you explain why you hate the Dalish enough to curse them as you did?" William reasoned. "Maybe this can be handled without further bloodshed. But if you continue to be stubborn like this, I will have no choice but to fight."

"You were sent by the treacherous Dalish to kill Witherfang, not to talk!" Swiftrunner roared, baring his teeth. "I will not stand by and allow that to happen! This is our home! Here we are protected; here we are beloved; here we learn our names! You come to destroy, as all your kind do!" He howled and the werewolves started advancing. "We will use all our power to defend this place, even unto death!"

"You fool!" William shouted, flames licking his staff. "Are you so determined to hate the Dalish that you cannot see reason!" The werewolves ignored him, continuing their charge. Two tripped as Wynne raised the stones underneath them, and flames blasted from Williams's staff to engulf Swiftrunner and his other pack mate. However, while the smaller werewolf was incinerated with a pained yelp, Swiftrunner shrugged the fire off and kept coming. He brought an arm up to ward off an arrow, which stuck through his paw. He roared in pain and lunged at William, who redirected him with a blast of telekinesis. The werewolf skidded but kept his feet before dashing towards Leliana, who had just shot one of the remaining werewolves. She vanished into stealth, which threw him off long enough for Zelda to engage him. He lashed out with his razor claws, which scratched her shield. Her sword bit into his barrel chest, but again the gash was not as bad as it should have been. It was as if some force was protecting the werewolf. She hit him was a Righteous Strike, and was rewarded with a deeper wound.

William and Wynne had finished off the rest of the werewolves and turned their attention to Swiftrunner. Leliana reappeared a moment later, shooting an arrow at one of the existing gashes in Swiftrunner's chest. As wounds continued to litter his body, the massive werewolf was slowly driven back. Any other creature would have died long before, but this beast kept fighting.

Finally, his stamina started to fail him. As Morrigan returned with Thunder, Alistair, Sten, and Shale, Swiftrunner was tossed back by a combination of Zelda's shield and William's telekinesis.

"This ends now!" William snarled, twirling his flaming staff as he advanced.

He was met by a blur of white, tossed back to the rest of the group. Swiftrunner staggered away, covered by the massive snarling white wolf that blocked the path. The fur on its front legs was discolored, almost as if roots were growing up it. Zelda could feel a sense of power radiating from the wolf as it stood fearlessly between them.

"Witherfang." William said quietly, rising to his feet. Before any of them could think to attack the majestic wolf, it glanced over its shoulder. Seeing that Swiftrunner had withdrawn to a safe distance, it turned and followed.

"After it!" Sten called. "Let us end this!" No one disagreed, and they rushed after the fleeing wolf. A few moments later, they found themselves at the entrance to the ruins Keeper Zathrian had told them of. Witherfang barked to the group of werewolves guarding the entrance, led by a pure white one,

"We are invaded!" the albino howled. "Fall back! Protect the Lady!" The werewolves followed Witherfang into the ruins.

"Who do you think this 'Lady' is?" Wynne asked as they ran to the door.

"It doesn't matter." William responded. "Let's put an end to this." With that, he led the way into the dark ruins.

(Codex: Werewolves)

"And Dane he stood his ground,

The fanged beast approached.

He saw the rage within its eyes,

The wolf that once was there.

The sword he raised,

Merciful death be praised,

To the maker went his prayer."

_-From the popular telling of Dane and the Werewolf, a legend of Ferelden circa 4:50 Black._

Fereldan lore is full of instances where these creatures have plagued the countryside: wolves possessed by rage demons and transformed into humanoid monsters with incredible speed and strength, able to spread a curse to those they bit that would drive them mad with unthinking fury. When in this enraged state, a human host can likewise become possessed and be transformed into a feral, wolf-like beast. Tales differ on these werewolves of human origin, some claiming that their transformation into a bestial form happens uncontrollably. Some claim the transformation is irreversible. As is often the case with demonic tales, both versions were most likely true at some point.

The ability of normal dogs to detect a werewolf even when it is in a human guise is what first led Fereldans to adopt dogs as indispensable companions in every farmhold. The alliance between humans and regular wolves is the subject of the popular Fereldan folk tale "Dane and the Werewolf."

The actual hero Dane led a crusade to eliminate the werewolf threat during the early Black Age, and while werewolves have never assumed the same prominence since, there have still been reports of individual packs lurking in remote forests. In recent years, some have even been reported to have developed an uncanny willpower and intelligence... though why this is so is still unknown.

_AN:_ Next chapter is when Will becomes an Arcane Warrior. Then things start getting interesting. Sorry this took so long, I've been busy with school. Hope you like, and reviews would be welcome.


	16. In This Balance

Chapter 15: In This Balance…

Will couldn't help but spend a second admiring the ruined hall they were in. True, there seemed to be at least one massive tree growing, leading to warped architecture and cracked stone, but it was still an impressive place. He shook his head, focusing. Witherfang was not far from here, and maybe if they could catch up to it, they could finally get some answers.

Almost as soon as Swiftrunner had started talking, Will had realized that there was something more going on here than met the eye. The werewolves almost seemed to worship Witherfang, even though it was the source of the curse they suffered. Some of the were-leaders comments had indicated that they hated what had happened to them, but they respected the thing that had cursed them? No, there was another explanation, and if he could just get the werewolves to stop trying to kill him and his group and actually put their powers of speech to good use, then this mess might be resolved.

"Begone!" a werewolf howled from the bottom of the steps, while several more barked and snarled behind him. Will shook his head in frustration.

"Look, can we…" he started, before being forced to defend himself from the rushing lycanthropes.

"These foolish beasts still think they can win?" Morrigan muttered contemptuously as she kicked one body lightly. Will shrugged. Maybe Zathrian was right, and there was no big secret, just a bunch of monsters that had somehow learned to talk. It was a possibility.

"Let's go find them." One of the new werewolves had come from a downward sloping passage on the right side of the entrance hall. At the bottom of the set of stairs was a door.

"How do werewolves use doors?" Leliana asked, glancing back at the bodies. "Their paws aren't shaped properly to use the handles."

Will was more interested in the door itself. There were some interesting runes carved along its surface that seemed familiar, and though much of the rest of the passage was crumbling, the door and its frame were completely intact. He tried to open the door, but as he had suspected, it refused to budge.

"Why don't you just burn your way through?" Alistair asked when he informed them of this.

"The lock isn't the problem, I can move the handle just fine. The door has being blocked from the other side. It seems the werewolves _really_ don't want us getting in."

"Even if it was just locked, I don't think magic would work on this door." Zelda said, studying the runes, "This door is likely protected from magic, these wards seem like more advanced versions of the ones on some high-security doors the Templar maintain." That was where Will had seen the wards before, he realized, they must have been on the Victim's Door down to the Phylactery Chamber.

"Looks like we have to find another way around," he said finally, turning to head back up the stairs and into the entrance hall. There was another hallway, opposite the door, and the group headed through there.

This portion of the ruin was even more of a mess than the entrance hall. Webs grew all along the walls and ceilings, causing Will to pause. The last time he had seen this sort of webbing, he had been alone in the caverns underneath Kinloch Hold, facing off against a small spider infestation. There had been a lot less web there, which meant that there were far more spiders here. This was going to be _fun!_

"There are giant spiders around here," he warned, looking carefully around. "They'll come from above when they can, so keep an eye out." The rest of the group nodded, and they started down the webbed corridor towards a junction.

Within moments, hisses started sounding from the other corridors, and a swarm of spiders rushed into view. Most had the large, bulbous abdomens that marked them as being venom less, relying on their size and fangs to harm enemies. However, there were several smaller, pitch-black spiders with nasty red marks along their bodies, indicating the poison that made them deadly. Many of these were crawling on the ceiling as Will had predicted they would. He had already raised his staff, starting to blast them with Arcane Bolts and fire, but there were more behind them.

The rest of the party was facing down the charging spiders on the ground. Morrigan, Leliana, and Wynne took aim at the remaining poisonous spiders while the warriors formed a wall against the normal spiders. Several rushed up onto the walls, while another group gathered themselves and pounced. Sten's sword slashed in a perfectly controlled arc, knocking three jumpers out of the air. Zelda hit another group with a Holy Smite, and Alistair met another with his shield, smashing its exoskeleton open.

There were still more spiders, however. Another volley of magic and arrows wiped out several more poisonous spiders, but the warriors were being driven back by the sheer weight of the spider hoard. Though they killed dozens of them, the spiders just kept climbing over their dead and across the ceiling, constantly trying to surround them.

"How… many… of… these… things… are… there?" Alistair gasped, his shield blocking a jet of poising as an arrow took out the source. Thunder had dragged one of the wall climbers down and was ripping it apart, carful to avoid the massive fangs. Shale, being a tireless golem, was still swinging his fists, but the others were starting to slow.

"Pull back!" Will called, shooting down another poisonous spider. Shale provided the cover as the others started backing off. Two spiders tried to overwhelm the golem, who simply threw them back into the crowd, laughing. Sten cursed suddenly, one of the poisonous spiders had finally gotten a good hit in, and the poison started seeping into his body. Wynne immediately started channeling a Heal to counteract the venom's effects while Morrigan blasted the offending spider from existence.

Shale started pulling back, still smashing spiders aside with his massive fists. Finally, the whole group had returned to the entrance hall, still pursued by the army of spiders.

"Now this is just getting ridiculous." Will muttered, blasting another spider. Shale stepped through the door, which was filled with stone as Wynne blocked the spider hoard. For a few moments, there was the sound of spiders trying to break through the new barrier, before they fell silent.

"How are we going to get through the rest of them?" Alistair asked, removing his helmet and wiping the sweat from his face. "There must be _hundreds_ in there!"

Will shrugged, then turned too look around the entrance hall, trying to think of a plan. Finally, he looked up and spotted the answer.

"Look, up there!" he said, pointing to the windows located about halfway up the massive hall. "Those aren't windows to the outside, they're probably widows to let people on a second floor look out here!" He glanced at Morrigan. "Want to go take a look?" She shrugged and transformed into her hawk form, flapping up towards the window.

"How does that help?" Leliana asked, watching Morrigan glide around, looking through the window.

"Hopefully the ruin is collapsed enough that the spiders haven't found their way up there, allowing us to pass over them rather than through them." Morrigan returned a moment later, nodding as she transformed.

"Tis' clear. How do you plan to get up there?

"You'll fly up there, and Leliana will shoot a rope up, which you can then tie off." Morrigan nodded slowly.

"I suppose that might work, though I am still curious to hear how you plan to get our armored watchers to follow." Zelda bristled slightly, and Will sighed.

"Unless someone else has a plan, they're going to have to stay here." Alistair didn't look happy at that, but Will glanced at him. "As I said, if you have an idea, I'd be quite happy to hear it." He glanced around as Alistair fell silent. "It's possible we won't find anything up there, and will have to return here an come up with another plan."

A few minutes later, Will, Morrigan, and Leliana were walking carefully down the deserted hallway. Will and Leliana had both learned at some point how to climb a rope. Will didn't know where Leliana had learned, but his aunt had taught him as a potential escape strategy. He was jerked from his memories when he rounded a corner to see a hole in the middle of the room they were entering.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to go back." Morrigan said in annoyance, but Will held up his hand and walked over to take a look down. He grimaced.

"What is that… _thing?_" Leliana whispered in disgust as she joined him. The hole had been covered by spider web, but through it they could see a truly gargantuan spider. While most giant spiders were only about the size of a Mabari warhound, this one was easily twice as tall as a large warhorse, and several times as wide. It was surrounded by a small army of smaller spiders, and Will could see the webbed remains of a large number of creatures, including what looked like several werewolves.

"A spider queen…" Morrigan said in awe. "Mother has told me of these things, but I never thought that I would see one for myself…"

"Care to share?" Leliana said, sounding more nervous than impressed.

"I thought that your precious Chantry taught you everything you needed to know." Morrigan said smugly.

"Not now, Morrigan." Will said tiredly as Leliana opened her mouth in annoyance. Morrigan nodded.

"Giant spiders live much longer than their normal sized cousins, and like dragons, the females never truly stop growing. Now, most are killed before they grow too large. However, in some cases, a spider grows large enough that it is all but unkillable by natural means. These spiders soon start breeding more, leading to large number of spiders. These offspring often stay near their progenitor, getting food for it in exchange for the protection the queen can provide." She turned to the others. "I suspected a queen might be at work when I saw the number of spiders, but decided that there was little point in mentioning it. It certainly wouldn't have fit through the corridors."

"So, are the majority of the spiders down there? Will asked, smiling evilly. Morrigan and Leliana both stared at him.

"In all likelihood… Why?" Morrigan said warily.

Will simply smirked, before drinking a small bottle of lyrium and setting his staff into the ground and bowed his head, drawing his magic together.

_"Mine is the glorious fire that burns in the hearts of dragons. Come forth, and create a blaze hotter than the Sun itself. Cremate all those who dare court my wrath. __**Inferno**__!" _

The swirling fire glyph roared around Will again, and the dragon rose from the sphere of flame. However, without the desperation of his lyrium overdose and Uldred's approach, Will was able to shape the fire properly. The spiders jerked as the glyph redrew itself around their queen, and a tornado of fire filled the room. Will's eyebrows connected as he tried to control the raging Inferno, distracted by the screeches of dying spiders.

Finally, Will started calming the fire, his breath coming in short gasps. Even at almost full strength, using a mere fraction of the power he had put into his previous Inferno, and with the time and presence of mind to control the blaze rather than just let it rage, it was still an exhausting endeavor. After a few moments, the flames died, leaving only smoking husks behind. He leaned back against the wall, keeping his eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" Leliana asked worriedly. He nodded, remaining silent.

"Very well." Morrigan said. "There shouldn't be very many spiders left down there, so we can go back to the others and search the area." Finally, Will pushed himself from the wall and headed back towards the entrance hall.

"We thought we heard something." Zelda said as Morrigan landed, leaving the others to climb back down the rope on their own.

"We found the source of the spiders, a queen. William eliminated it along with most of its entourage. It should be safe to continue through." Will dropped the last foot to the ground, stumbling slightly. Wynne studied him, before shaking her head. She tapped the wall with her staff, brining down the barrier. There were a couple of spiders, but these were quickly slain. The party continued through, soon coming across the scorched room that the Queen had inhabited.

"Inferno." Wynne said simply, glancing at Will. "You do remember what happened to you last time you used that spell."

"Last time, I was desperate and dumping far too much power. This time, I had it under control." Wynne didn't look completely convinced, but decided to trust that if he felt that he could handle that spell, then he probably could.

They continued through the corridors, finding a few spider stragglers. They also found the grisly remains of the spiders' meals, everything from deer and other normal creatures to the occasional werewolf. Finally, they came across a set of stairs leading further down into the ruins.

"If there's any way around the werewolves' blockade, it will be down there." Wynne said quietly.

"Right, keep your wits about you, everyone. Who knows what's lurking down there." Everyone nodded, and they headed down the stairs into the lower section of the ruins.

The spider webs ended about halfway down the stairs, and not far from this line were the corpses of several spiders. Nearby lay several bodies that looked like they had been dead for centuries. Wynne nudged one of the spider bodies with her staff.

"These are relatively fresh. What do you think killed them?" Will glanced at the humanoid bodies.

"The dead, if I had to guess. The Bricillian Forest has a very weak Veil, so it makes sense that demons would be able to get through relatively easily." Everyone shuddered a bit at the thought, they knew what that meant. "Hopefully, we won't find any Revenants or Arcane Horrors." They steeled themselves and continued on.

It wasn't long before they found their first skeletons. Unlike the corpses of Redcliffe, these dead agents wielded the weapons them probably had in life. Still, their bodies were frail. Sten smashed three apart with a single swing, while the heads of two more exploded when Zelda used Holy Smite on them. Will's flames quickly caused the dry bones to crumble into ash, while Wynne's Stone Fists simply smashed skulls. Ironically, it was Morrigan who was having the most trouble harming the corpses with magic, because the dead don't particularly care about cold and lightning. She soon switched to her bear form and started smashing the skeletons apart. It wasn't long before the party finished off the waves of undead.

"That wasn't too bad." Leliana said, putting her daggers away and picking her bow up.

"This is why maleficarum rarely use skeletons, preferring fresher corpses." Zelda said. "The newly dead are more durable." She glanced around at the scattered bones. "Still, to think that there are so many… something terrible must have happened here, to sunder the Veil so deeply."

"Indeed." Wynne said, glancing around.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Will asked, his eyes flicking around the corridor. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Indeed, they could hear a voice.

"_Mamae? Mamae? Na mara san…"_a ghostly voice drifted from deeper in the ruins.

"That sounds like a child." Leliana said quietly. "He's calling for his mother. How would a child survive in this place?" Will shook his head.

"They wouldn't, which means it's either a trap, or… something else." He glanced at Wynne, who was looking thoughtful.

"Sometimes, when someone dies a particularly horrible death in a place where the Veil has already been torn, their spirits do not pass on as they should. They are forced to wander, aimlessly. It is… a sad existence."

The group continued on, soon catching sight of the speaker. A transparent boy, wearing a strange robe, glanced up from the center of a large room. He gasped, turning to flee.

"Wait!" Will called, stepping into the room. "We don't want to hurt you! We need your help!" The boy ignored him, fleeing deeper into the ruins.

Hisses rose around the room as a horde of the dead rose from where they were slumped. Most raised their mortal weapons, hisses of rage. However, one pushed itself up with a staff, ice forming a mist around it as rage burned in its eyes.

"The mage is mine." Zelda said coldly, Templar energies wreathing themselves around her. Will nodded, already charging a fireball to take down a cluster of skeletons. The skeleton mage was able to raise a shield that partially blocked her Holy Smite, though it was still blasted back across the room. It rose to its feet, launching a ball of ice at her. She batted the spell aside with her shield, simultaneously beheading a skeleton that tried to distract her.

The mage raised its staff, trying to ward her off with another blast of ice as it backed through the doorway that the ghost had run through. Zelda pursued, dispelling the ice as she came. Finally, with a quick slash, she sliced the dead mage's staff in half. The demon's host fell from the force of the blow, and the magic it had been channeling flew towards the ceiling.

Zelda finished the skeleton off with another slash, but a rumble above her caused her to look up. The spell must have destabilized some part of the ceiling, causing it to begin to collapse. She stumbled back towards the main area of the battle, which had ended at some point during her own fight. However, she hadn't realized how far she had driven the undead mage back, and already the destabilized ceiling was collapsing.

"DUCK!" Will shouted as he sprinted forward, shoving a falling stone away with telekinesis. He kept trying to hold the ceiling up, but there was just so much falling stone for one mage. There was a crash behind him, and he spared a moment to glance back at the doorway, which was crumbling as well. Cursing, he dove forward, finally getting out of the collapsing area. With a final crash, the doorway collapsed, separating him and Zelda from the rest of the party.

"Are you alright!" Wynne shouted through the barrier a moment later.

"We're fine!" Will shouted back, studying the mess that was blocking the door. It looked like it would be incredibly difficult to shift, even with magic.

"Let me see…" The rocks started shifting slightly for a moment, before stopping. "Bad news, William. This whole area is unstable. I don't think that I can shift this without causing even more problems." Will cursed viciously under his breath.

"What now?" he called.

"You two stay there. The rest of us will find a way around. There are several other passages out of this room, we'll find you. Stay there!" Will nodded sullenly. After a moment, he heard the sound of footsteps fading.

There were a few moments of tense silence between the mage and the Templar as they sat at the edge of the collapse. Finally, it seemed Zelda couldn't take it anymore. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Will said stiffly, not looking at her. She glanced at him, but he pointedly ignored her.

"I didn't expect that last spell." Zelda said defensively. "Taking out the staff was supposed to disrupt it." Will's eyes narrowed slightly, he thought he'd heard something. Zelda must have misunderstood. "No one asked you to come over here."

"Shh!" he hissed, listening. "Do you hear that?" She glanced around.

"No, I don't." she said quietly. Will rose to his feet, looking around carefully. He could still hear it.

"It's just over there," he whispered, gesturing to a doorway just ahead of them. Zelda got up as well.

"I still don't hear anything." Will ignored her, drawing his staff as he approached the entrance and glanced through. It looked like another cluttered room, but his instincts were telling him that there was something else in there.

"Senior Enchanter Wynne told us to stay put." Zelda said coolly as she took a step forward.

"It's not like we're going halfway across the ruin." Will said as he entered the room. "Besides, I'm a Warden. I can handle myself for a few minutes." He let his eyes roam around the room, and they settled on a pile of wood in one corner. He slowly walked over to it, crouching down. There was something in here, something crying out.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, still standing at the doorway. Will found himself ignoring her again as he telekinetically shifted the debris. Finally, something shiny caught his eye, and he pulled it out with more telekinesis. It was a perfectly cut gem, and it shone with a dim internal light. It was almost certainly the thing that was calling Will.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "Come take a look." Reluctantly, Zelda entered the room and crouched down next to Will, studying the gem.

"I'm not sure, though it's defiantly magical in nature. We should put it back or destroy it, who knows what it could do."

Somewhere in the rational part of Will's mind, he recognized that Zelda was probably right, but he was still annoyed with her. "Let's show it to Wynne before we decide," he said as he reached for it.

As soon as it touched his hand, a flash of pain flew through him, and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Will spun in place, staring around at the maelstrom of colors that wove around the edges of the strange area he found himself. His pointed ears were filled with an equally unsettling buzz, as if a thousand voices were whispering at once. Other than that, there was nothing here.<p>

"Hello?" he shouted, trying to find something, anything, to focus on rather than the waves of light surrounding him. There was no verbal answer, though he though he felt a brush on the back of his neck.

Trying not to be sick, he looked around again, looking for whatever had touched him. Again, he sensed something watching him, and he spun again, trying to find the source. Finally, on his third turn, he found what he was looking for.

A glowing ball of light hovered a short distance away, twitching slightly. For a moment, Will thought that it was a wisp, but it wasn't acting like any wisp he had ever seen before. A demonic wisp would have attacked by now, and a benevolent one wouldn't be trying to hide from him.

"What are you?" Will asked, taking a few steps forward. The thing backed away, and Will felt a wave of fear come from it. He raised his hands gently. "I don't want to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid."

The being flickered, jerking back and forward slightly. For a moment, it looked like it would keep running, but finally it approached Will.

"What are you?" Will asked quietly, studying the glowing ball that hovered just out of reach. It didn't answer, but Will could tell that it was just as curious about him as he was about it. It buzzed a bit closer, and Will had to blink as its light burned at his eyes.

"Where are we?" he tried again, not expecting an answer. The wisp-like thing stopped bobbing, and a sensation of fear filled the area. Wherever they were, it didn't want to be here.

"How do I get out?"

A wave of shock came from the being before it started circling him very rapidly. Will tried to get around it, but it kept blocking him. It obviously didn't want him to leave.

"I have to go. I'm sorry, but there are things I need to do." Finally, Will caught sight of a doorway, and he slipped past the wisp.

A squeal of rage filled Will's ears, and he spun around in time to see the ball of light surge forward, emanating rage. Will tried to blast it, but it knocked him over before flying on. Will rolled onto his belly and pushed himself up, grabbing his staff. The wisp came roaring back, seeming to swell as it came. Will hit it with an ice bolt, but it shrugged the attack of and slammed into his shield. After they pushed for a moment, Will twisted, sending the wisp spinning away.

It skidded to a halt, still swelling in size. It was also starting to change shape, until it looked vaguely like an elf. It carried a sword shaped object in one hand, which it pointed at Will with another rage-filled shriek. Will backed up slightly, weaving a ball of fire. The spirit dashed forward, little more than a blur. Will's fireball exploded, but the spirit ignored it. Will was forced to raise his staff to deflect its slash, but the sheer force of the blow tossed him backwards. He was about to push himself to his feet when the being appeared over him, raising its blade. He raised his staff again, bracing himself.

The blow never fell. With a wail, the figure tossed its sword aside, before falling to its knees, looking like it was sobbing. Will got up, watching it warily. The thing was obviously unhinged, probably dangerous, but it had beaten him easily. He wondered how powerful it must have been at its full strength. He glanced at it, it was still crying. He then carefully started towards the door.

The spirit wailed again, and after a moment Will felt something wrap around his legs. He looked, and was shocked to see that it had thrown itself forward, hugging his legs in a desperate attempt to get him to stay.

"Don't…go…" Will blinked. He looked more closely at the spirit; he had thought that it couldn't speak.

"What are you?" he asked again, carefully trying to get free. The spirit absolutely refused to let go.

"Look...at…me…" Will glanced up, jerking as the previously random background shimmered, showing a room, the same he had been standing in when he found the crystal. After a moment, a figure in armor stumbled in. The armor he wore was beautifully made; it almost looked organic, and had several crystals at key points. Its beauty was ruined, however, by the fact that it was splattered with blood, with more coming from a deep rent in one side. The man, who Will realized was an elf, also carried a sword, which crackled with lightning. He was panting as he clutched his side. He also had a nasty burn across his face and one eye looked like it was dead. He staggered forward, before freezing. A moment later, two humans in robes ran in, followed by several more with armor and swords. One of the mages raised his staff, crying something in a language Will didn't understand.

The elf spun around, his exhaustion fading as his curved blade glowed briefly. He slashed the air, and a wave of energy flew towards the cluster of enemies. The older mage ducked, but the three solders behind him were sliced cleanly in half. The elf's hand brushed aside a spell from the other mage, before he dashed forward. The remaining soldiers rushed in front of the mages, one taking a large swing with his sword. The elf batted the blade aside before impaling the offending soldier, his sword sliding through the man's armor like butter. He immediately slipped the blade out, twitching his head to avoid one strike while batting the other aside with his gauntlet.

One of the mages then blasted him back with a wave of force, smashing him through a bookshelf as his sword left his hand and hit the opposite wall. The elf bounced back to his feet, before gasping and going ridged. The elder mage's eyes were blazing red, and blood dripped from his fingers, which were pointed at the warrior elf. He said something tauntingly as the two soldiers advanced. The elf paused for a moment, before his eyes started glowing as well. The blood mage stumbled back as his spell was disrupted, and the elf surged forward, dodging both slashes before grabbing the soldiers by their throats and clapping them together. Will couldn't help but wince slightly as he heard bones shatter on impact. The elf then finished them off with a flash of ice freezing their throats, before squeezing slightly and shattering the brittle ice. He tossed the bodies aside, glaring at the two mages. The younger backed up slightly, but the other stopped him with a word.

The elf held out his hand, calling his sword back with a burst of telekinesis. The three stared at each other for a few tense moments. The younger human broke first, throwing a wave of fire at the elf. Will caught a brief smirk before the warrior casually spun his hand around his head. The fire redirected itself, spinning around him before shooting back at the mage who had created it. It was blocked, but the elf was already halfway to his enemies. Will knew what was going to happen before it did, and as the mage brought his staff up, the sword sliced through it and ripped the man open from shoulder to hip.

The last mage started backing up slowly, staring in horror at the advancing elf. He gibbered a few words; Will guessed it was something along the lines of "Impossible…". The elf spat something back, before dashing forward with another slash of his sword. The mage deflected it with an arcane shield, but still stumbled back into the wall. The elf followed up with a lightning fast stab, which pierced the shield, running strait through the mage's gut.

An explosion rocked the room, and the elf was blown away from the mage. His sword again flew from his hand, skittering to a halt in the corner. The elf got to his feet, only to watch the blood mage's corpse rise from the ground, an evil laugh torn from his throat. His flesh seemed to melt, his bones exposed. The elf took a step back as the man transformed into an Arcane Horror before his eyes. Then, he bowed his head and clasped his hands.

The Arcane Horror held up its boney claws, and the remnants of its flesh exploded into blood, which started spinning around it. The elven warrior didn't move a muscle. Finally, a massive wave of blood and energy flew from the Horror towards the elf, engulfing him. The Horror shrieked in triumph.

Suddenly, a light blazed from within the cocoon of death, blowing the demonic mage backwards. As the blood splattered all over the room, the mage was reveled; the crystals embedded in his armor shining like suns. Even though this must have happened centuries ago, Will could almost feel the power crackling throughout the room as the mage pointed at the Horror. Several massive bolts of lightning lanced out, smashing through the shield and pinning the dead mage's arms and legs to the wall. With a final twist, the mage's lightning sliced the Arcane Horror into several pieces, slaying it.

As the glow faded from his armor, the elf fell to his knees, groaning. He seemed to be trying to heal himself, judging from the light playing across his wounds. Will wasn't the best healer, but even he could tell that it was a futile act. Not even Wynne would have been able to save this warrior. The elf's eyes flicked to the ruins of the shelf he had been smashed into, and Will saw the gem he had touched glinting.

Crawling, hand over hand, the elf finally grabbed the gem. Will could see his breathing stop as a brief glow emanated from the gem, before the undulating lights returned.

"We're in the gem. These are our souls," he said finally, glancing at the elf who had stood sometime during the fight. "That was you, fighting right there. I've… never seen anything like that…"

The elf's spirit chuckled slightly. "Arcane…Warrior." He pointed to himself.

"Is this… from Arlathan?" Will asked. Even in the Tower, he had heard of the mystical elven kingdom, destroyed by the Tevinter Imperium centuries ago. The Arcane Warrior nodded. He looked down, and a single glowing tear fell from his face. "What happened? Why were you so… erratic before?" The elf shrugged.

"Madness…sleep…madness…" Will nodded. The isolation must have driven the poor man insane. Anders had been confined to solitary several times, and he always came out slightly crazed. That this mage had been trapped for centuries, completely isolated, no wonder he was a mess.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Will asked. The warrior turned to him, smiling.

"Stay…" Will shook his head.

"I cannot. The world needs me." Focusing, he touched the interior of the gem, showing images of the Darkspawn, Ostagar, his mission. The warrior stared.

"Release…me…" he said finally. He took control of the images, showing an alter. The gem was placed upon it, and shattered.

"You want death?" Will asked, and the warrior nodded. "I will grant it."

"Take…my…power…" the elf said. An image of Will, standing in the warrior's armor and carrying his sword, appeared between them.

"I don't know how. I'm not strong like you." The elf chuckled.

"I…will…teach…you…"

"How?" Will asked.

"Let…me…in…" Will tensed at that. That sounded suspiciously like what a demon would say.

'But couldn't he simply have destroyed you, if he was a demon. Then he could have taken your body for free.' Will stood for a moment, debating. Finally, he held out his hand. "Very well."

"Thank…you…" As the warrior took his hand, the lights around them started to swirl and they walked out the door together. Will finally noticed that the buzz that had pervaded the room since the beginning had finally formed words.

_We walk the line, between warrior and mage_

_In this balance, we find discipline_

_We skirt the edge, between light and dark_

_In this balance, we find power_

_We stand the wall, between our people and our enemies_

_In this balance, we find purpose_

_We are the first and last defense of Elvhenan_

_We are the Arcane Warriors_

* * *

><p>Zelda hissed in frustration as she paced the room, glaring at William as he lay, still clutching that damn crystal. She had briefly considered cutting his hand off, but had decided that it would cause more problems in the long run.<p>

"Why didn't you listen to me?" she asked, kicking his leg as she passed. Damn mages, too damn proud for their own good. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and centering herself. That wasn't fair, he was just curious. Still, he should have been more careful.

She tensed as several hisses came from behind her. Whirling, she saw a small group of corpses entering the room. She drew her sword and shield, preparing herself to face them. The first charged, raising its great axe for an overhead swing. She smashed it back with her shield, shattering ribs, before spinning her sword to impale a second. Three more tried to surround her, but a quick Holy Smite forced them back.

Suddenly, Zelda felt a chill grip her, ice forming on her armor. She glanced up, gasping at the sight of an Arcane Horror hovering in the doorway. How had she missed that? She tried to gather herself for another Smite, but the Horror simply laughed and blasted her off her feet. The skeletons rushed forward, raising their weapons to finish her off.

"Everyone… I'm sorry… I failed…" Zelda whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the end.

Suddenly, a roar filled the room, and heat washed over her. Several screeches pierced her ears, and a light shone through her eyelids. Finally, it ended when something clattered to the ground next to her. She squinted, thinking that maybe Wynne had arrived just in time.

Instead, she saw William getting to his feet. "About time!" she snapped, picking herself up. "Maybe this will teach…"

William seemed to be ignoring her again, instead looking at his hands as if he had never seen them before. A sudden laugh was torn from his lips, sounding strange and unnatural. He twirled, seeming to take joy in the fact that he could. He jabbered something in a language Zelda didn't understand, a bright, musical sound. He then turned to the corner of the room, holding his hand out. She was about to ask what he thought he was doing when, with a shriek, a hand-and-a-half sword pulled itself out of another pile of rubble. It was among the most beautiful blades she had ever seen, a gentle curve giving it the appearance of a claw. A slight prong came from the base, not far from the hilt. The whole thing was wreathed with electricity. William caught it easily by the hilt, staring at it. He swung it several times as if it was light as a feather. Then, he laughed again, and actually _hugged_ the blade, somehow managing not to cut or shock himself on it.

"What is wrong with you?" Zelda asked warily. Finally, he seemed to recognize her presence. He stared at her for a few moments, cocking his head. Anther alien phrase left his mouth. "I don't understand you, William. Use Fereldan." He seemed to become impatient, beckoning her and heading for the door.

"Lin, lin!"

"Oh no! Not again!" she called, striding over and grabbing his arm. "Senior Enchanter Wynne told us to stay by the cave in. We've gone far enough as it is. Besides, you just fainted. You're not going anywhere!" He stared at her again, looking confused. He babbled some more. Her eyes narrowed, this was not William Surana. "What are you? Whatever you are, leave peacefully, or I will destroy you."

That didn't go over well. William tensed immediately, before jerking his arm out of her grip with a quick twist. She was surprised by his strength, he was rather thin, and didn't look like he had a lot of muscle on him. It must be part of being a Grey Warden.

Or whatever possessed him was strengthening him.

"Ar'din nevenin na'din, Zelda." His voice was cold, and with that he turned and left.

"Stop!" she shouted, attempting to hit him with a Holy Smite. He was too fast, and the attack missed. Cursing, she sprinted after him, drawing her sword. Knight Commander Greagoir's orders had mentioned that she might have to do this, but she had hoped that the Warden would not prove to be a problem. Still, what was done was done, and now she had to try and contain the damage.

As she followed him through the corridors, it quickly became apparent that he knew where he was going. He was also incredibly fast. Zelda had learned how to move fairly quickly, even in her heavy armor, and still she got the feeling she could only keep up because whatever possessed him let her.

They met trouble after a few. He rounded a corner ahead of her, and she heard several shrieks of undead. By the time she rounded the corner, he was already continuing on, with the last skeleton crumpling to the ground. Two had been beheaded, four had a spell holes in their skull, and some great force had shattered the last three. He didn't look like he had even stopped moving.

Zelda stood, rooted to the spot. She was sure she could have defeated that many, so long as no more Arcane Horrors blindsided her. But she would have had to put a lot of effort into it, and it would have taken a while.

Whatever currently inhabited William's body had cut them down in less than five seconds with little apparent effort.

"Zelda!" She turned; Senior Enchanter Wynne was leading the way up the corridor. "We can't be at the cave in yet, what are you doing here? Where's William?"

"Something happened to him. I think he's possessed. He went that way." Everyone glanced at each other.

"What do we do?" Leliana asked in a small voice.

"If William has been possessed… there's only one thing to do." Zelda said quietly. Everyone shuddered at that, except for Morrigan, who scoffed.

"If he's so dangerous, then why are both of you alive. Either he would have destroyed you, or you would have destroyed him. Abominations do not simply flee."

"Let's find him before we do anything rash." Alistair said. "Thunder, can you follow him?" The mabari barked before pressing his nose to the ground. After a moment, he trotted down the corridor, stepping delicately over the corpses William had left behind. Glancing at each other once more, the party followed.

They found another batch of rekilled corpses not much farther. Again they had been dispatched with grim efficiency, and there was no sign of any real struggle. Just beyond this was a large pair of double doors. After a moment, they pushed them open.

A large, two-tier room greeted them. In the center of the lower tier was a small pool, filled to the brim with crystal clear water. William was kneeling in front of an alter tucked into one of the corners. His head was touching the floor, and he seemed to be singing quietly. A jug was placed on the alter before him, and it was glowing slightly.

"William!" Wynne called, walking down the stairs. "Are you alright?"

William chose that moment to rise to his feet, reverently taking the jug from the alter and taking a single sip. He then turned and walked carefully back to the pool, where he gently poured the remaining water back in. Several lines along the floor started glowing, and a second set of double doors opened. He then turned to look at them.

"Ga rahn s'dael, shemlen." With that, he turned and walked through the doors, which closed behind him.

"Elvish?" Morrigan said, surprised. "I didn't think that the Circle would allow any culture other than their own." Zelda opened her mouth to berate the witch, but Wynne was faster.

"With elvish, it's not that we don't want to teach it, we can't." Morrigan scoffed, and Zelda had to admit that it was likely Knight Commander Greagoir would prevent widespread knowledge of that language. "Florian is the Circle's most dedicated linguist, and even he only knows about ten words of Elvish." She looked at Morrigan. "Do you know what he said?"

"Mother has had some contact with Dalish, so I know a bit. That, however, was not in their vocabulary." Her eyes narrowed. "But if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that he was telling us to go away. _Shemlen_ means human, and the rest sounded like a command."

"Then something is possessing him." Zelda said. "He could never have learned all that otherwise."

"And that means he must be killed?" Morrigan asked coolly. "So far, he has not threatened us in any way, has simply asked to be left alone. Surely that is no true crime?"

"So you condone an abomination running around?" Zelda asked in a deadly voice.

"I don't think he's a true abomination." Morrigan said, not sounding the least bit intimidated by Zelda. "He is acting like no demon I have ever heard of. If anything, I would say he's channeling the spirit of an ancient elf. The language, the worship." She walked over to the alter William had been bowing at. "That's Falon-Din, unless I'm much mistaken. The Dalish my mother treated with had a statue much like it."

"Who or what is Falon-Din?" Leliana asked curiously.

"He is one of the old Elven gods. Friend of the Dead." Morrigan looked around. "This must be some sort of tomb."

A moment of silence filled the room. "So… now what?" Alistair asked finally. "We can't go on without William."

"Why not?" Sten asked. "He is one man. You are a Warden too."

"Yeah, but I'm horrible at leading!" Alistair wailed. "I'd end up directing us all off a cliff or something!"

"Don't exaggerate, Alistair." Wynne said gently.

"He's not. He really is that stupid." Morrigan said snidely. Zelda glared at her. What she wouldn't give to deal with this apostate, show her why she should fear Templar. Leliana didn't look much happier, and was just opening her mouth to tell Morrigan off when the tomb door creaked open. Zelda spun, her hand gripping her sword more tightly, preparing herself for the worst.

William quietly came out, but he looked completely different from when he walked in. The first and most obvious difference was that he wore a beautiful set of armor rather than his mage robes. It looked like it had been grown rather than forged, and its green color seemed to shift as Zelda watched it. Three crystals were visible, one just above the nose guard and one on each shoulder. A ridge rose from the nose guard, giving the helmet a sharp, distinctive profile. Underneath the metal, Zelda saw strange, smooth black cloth. She could also see the hilt of the sword William had carried from the room sticking over his shoulder. He also lacked the slightly crazed look in his eyes.

William turned as the door shut, bowing briefly and whispering a few words. He then turned back.

"Sorry about that." His voice was his own again, and he sounded a bit tired. "I had some business to take care of."

"What happened to you?" Wynne asked, striding forward. "We thought you'd been hurt, or possessed." William raised a hand with a slight smile.

"Well, I suppose you were technically correct, on the possessed bit. I was… helping someone. No worries, I am myself again."

"Are you sure about that?" Zelda asked, taking a step forward.

"I like to think I know a bit more about my mind than you do." William said sardonically. Zelda bristled slightly, and he chuckled quietly. "But to answer the question you were _trying_ to ask, would I be speaking so calmly to you if I were an abomination?"

"You could be faking." Zelda snapped.

"I could," he admitted, "but the chances of that are not likely. The vast majority of abominations are mindless monsters. Only desire and pride abominations have the intelligence to attempt to lie. Even then, their nature often shines through, like Uldred's did." He shrugged. "In essence, you can either attack me now on the off chance that I'm an abomination, or you could wait and look for evidence one way or another."

"But what happened to you?" Leliana asked.

* * *

><p><span>Ten minutes earlier<span>

Legalos, still working through Will's body, smiled as he entered the Shrine of Falon-Din. That shemlen Spellbreaker, Zelda, seemed to have fallen behind. Good, he couldn't afford to be distracted by her paranoia, this ritual was tricky under the best of circumstances. He swiftly walked to the Well of the Dead, cursing the stupid robes again. This was something a scholar would wear, not a warrior.

He shook his head, he had to concentrate. Kneeling, he took the vessel, filling it.

"Falon-Din, Friend of the Dead, hear my voice." He raised the vessel, bowing his head. "I seek to commune with the those you have guided onwards." He turned and walked to the alter, placing the vessel upon it "May this water purify me, so that I do not corrupt those who have gone before". Then, he knelt in supplication and started to sing.

_"__Hahren na melana sahlin , emma ir abelas, souver'inan isala hamin, vhenan him dor'felas, in uthenera na revas . Vir sulahn'nehn . Vir dirthera . Vir samahl la numin. Vir lath sa'vunin.__"_

About halfway through the song, he heard the outer doors of the shrine open. A voice, it sounded like Will's teacher, Wynne, asked if he was all right. He ignored her, rising to his feet and purifying himself with a sip of the sacred water. He then gravely turned and returned the rest of the water to its source. The door to the Inner Sanctum opened, welcoming him.

He turned to see those who had come with Will standing near the bottom of the stairs. Wynne was walking forward, if she came too close, she might pollute the room.

"Get away from our tree, humans," he said coolly, stopping her in her tracks. Turning, he swiftly passed into the Inner Sanctum, feeling the slight tug as he passed through the doors, which closed behind him.

Stillness filled the air, and Legalos heard the whispers of the departed souls all around him. This place was still pure; the darkness had not pervaded this sanctuary. He spent a moment looking around, savoring his last view of the world before he joined his brothers who had died long before.

A slight twitch in the back of his mind drew his attention. Will was still absorbing the knowledge he would need. Legalos smiled warmly. He wished he had been able to meet William in life; he would have made a wonderful apprentice. His mind had certainly done well in healing the lingering madness. Still, perhaps it was for the best. He had the nature of an Arcane Warrior, the desire to guard those around him. He would be a worthy successor of the mantle Arcane Warrior.

Finally, he brought his attention back to the present. It was time, after eight hundred years of physical life and countless centuries of the half-existence he had been consigned to when he entered the soul gem, he was ready to rest. He walked slowly to the back of the room, around the many sarcophagi. At last, he stood before a simple alter. The only mark upon it was a small indentation at the center.

"William, awaken," he whispered, gently drawing the young mage from his stupor.

"So…much…" the boy whispered. "How do you bear it all?"

"It will filter to the back of your mind, Will." Legalos said gently. "After I am gone, you will find a set of armor in a compartment over there. Take Spellweaver as well, and use it well."

"I will."

"One day, you will have to create your own sword, but until then, Spellweaver will aid you in your mission."

"Yes, master." Legalos smiled again.

"Before I go, there is one ritual we must complete." He steeled himself. "Do you, William Surana, accept the mantle of Arcane Warrior? Do you swear to defend the weak, to pursue the tyrant, to seek justice?"

"I do."

"Do you acknowledge that there will come a time when your life is less important than the lives of those you are sworn to guard?"

"I do."

"Then the world is in good hands. You, William Surana, are now an Arcane Warrior. Now, let me rest." With that, Legalos retreated into the soul gem and waited.

After a long moment, a flash of pure light surrounded him, and his long waking dream came to an end. Falon-Din awaited.

Will stood silently for a moment, staring at the shards of the gem.

"Goodbye, master." With that, he turned and found the armor that Legalos had told him about. He put it on, musing over his new oath. It was not actually all that different from the one he had implicitly sworn by becoming a Grey Warden. He remained a guardian. Securing the last buckle, he called Spellweaver to his hand with a thought and slipped it into the sheath on his back.

Quietly, he walked back through the forest of the dead, pushing the doors of the inner sanctum open. He saw his team looking up at him, but ignored them for the moment; there was one final ritual he had to complete.

"Thank you, Falon-Din. The wisdom of your wards was most welcome," he whispered in Elvish. The door closed with a snap.

As he finished telling the others most of this, they stared at him in shock.

"So let me get this strait," Alistair said slowly, "You are now the last of a ancient order of elven warrior mages, due to the fact that the previous last member dumped his memories into your mind?" Will nodded. "Whoa… that's… really impressive."

"I have even better news." Will said, smiling. "I now know exactly where we're going, and how to get to the werewolves' lair."

"That's great!" Leliana said. "This place is a confusing mess. Half of it seems to be about to fall down. It's good someone knows where they're going." Nodding, Will led the way out of the sanctum.

It took only a few minutes for Will to find his way to the secret entrance to the werewolf lair.

"Whether by design or accident, the werewolves are holed up in the highest security area of the ruin. It's where, in the case of an emergency, the defenseless would go. However, there is a secret way in, just in case something went wrong. It should be just through…" Will held up a hand, concentrating. "More undead through here, be ready."

Will still wasn't very used to Spellweaver, even though he had the memories of how to use it. He advanced with the other warriors, tossing a pair of Arcane Bolts at two of the corpses. An Arcane Horror tried to freeze him, but he shrugged it off with a quick wave of fire as Wynne hit it with a Stone Fist, attracting its attention. A pair of mace-wielding skeletons charged him, and he brought Spellweaver around in two neat arcs, and both of the skeletons fell. He then moved on, thankful for the ability to use his magic to augment his strength, it made using the admittedly light sword easier.

Another wave of skeletons came from a side chamber, led by the massive figure of a Revenant. It batted aside the Stone Fist from Wynne before raising its hand to pull her towards it. Will put the elder mage in a Force field before leading Zelda and Sten to attack the powerful skeleton. Alistair, Shale, and Thunder continued their battle with another group of corpses, while Morrigan and Leliana picked their targets.

The Revenant let out a hissing laugh as it saw its enemies approach it. A lightning fast blow lanced out, but was blocked by Will. Zelda slid too one side, trying to get around the beast's shield. Sten, meanwhile, brought his sword around in a massive arc.

Sten was batted aside with telekinesis, but Will's magic and Zelda's templar training were enough for them to keep their feet. Spellweaver met the demon's sword again, notching the corroded blade. Zelda, meanwhile, was still trying to get around the shield. The Revenant hissed, lashing out with a sudden kick, knocking Zelda away for a moment. It then brought its shield around to strike Will while its sword came from the other side. Will dropped into a quick leg sweep, taking the enemies remaining leg out. With a hiss, it kicked him as well, throwing him back. He regained his balance, but the Revenant was telekinetically reaching for Leliana, who was taking aim at the downed demon corpse. Zelda was able to interrupt it with a Holy Smite, and Sten brought his sword around again, carving a deep gash into the beast's shield. He was driven back by the spinning sword, but Will was able to catch the blade with a mighty slash, separating it from the hilt. Weaponless, the Revenant was soon overwhelmed.

"Well, that went well." Alistair said, putting his sword away. "Why were so many corpses here, thought?" Will shrugged.

"Who can fathom the minds of demons?" he said philosophically, before walking over to a pool of water in one corner. "Here's the passage."

"Umm, William." Zelda said warily. "This doesn't look like any passage I've ever seen."

"The elves wanted to make it hard for any enemies to get in under their guard, so they flooded the entire passage. Only swimming can get people through. There should be a release on the other side to drain the water."

"I can get this switch." Morrigan said in a board voice. A second later, she turned into one of the strangest creatures Will had ever seen. It looked like a bird, but stood strait, and its feet were hidden by the mass of feathers that covered her whole body. Most of her back was black, but her belly feathers were pure white with yellow trimmings. A distant memory, from Legalos, told him the creature was called a penguin, and lived on the coast in the southern reaches of Thedas, beyond the Kokari Wilds.

Leliana giggled at Morrigan's new shape. "I'm sure this is useful in some way, but you have to admit that you look silly." Morrigan hissed slightly, before waddling over to the pool.

"Well, you won't have to go alone, Morrigan." Will said calmly. "Arcane Warrior armor has a large number of enchantments to help its wearer." He closed his eyes, touching the magic of the armor and giving a brief sub vocal command in Elvish. A membrane spread over his face like a visor. "This will allow me to breath underwater for short periods of time. That's why they designed the passage in this way, to allow us access."

With that, he jumped into the pool, watching the water surround him. A second later, Morrigan's penguin form joined him. He pointed down the passage before swimming slightly clumsily. Though he had the memories of what to do, his body wasn't used to carrying those commands out, leaving him to struggle slightly. Morrigan's form glided gracefully, the clumsiness that had plagued her on land vanishing. They swam swiftly to the other opening of the water passage. Morrigan took a swimming start, jumping out of the pool, while Will climbed out. There were no werewolves in sight, but there were enough bones to attest to their presence.

Morrigan transformed back, still wet from her swim. "We shall never speak of this again," she muttered, wringing her hair out. Will disengaged the armor's water shield, smiling to himself. He then glanced around for the release switch that should be nearby.

He found it a moment later, and cursed. Something, and Will had a shrewd suspicion what, had badly damaged the mechanism. He and Morrigan stared at it for a moment.

"Now what?" she asked. Will looked back at the pool, making some quick calculations.

"We can probably get Shale over here, he doesn't need to breath, and I can lift him out with telekinesis. Other than that, I don't know, this is the only other way into the secure area other than the blocked door." Morrigan smiled grimly.

"Between Shale's invincibility to claws, your newfound skills, and my magic, we should be able to deal with a bunch of werewolves, so long as we're careful."

Will carefully bared the door that lead into the rest of the area, so that no unpleasant surprises might find them, before heading back while Morrigan stayed behind.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked wearily as he surfaced.

"Mechanism's damaged. I don't know how to fix it. Shale, you don't need to breathe, so if you could come over as well, that would be a big help."

"Very well, I suppose it would be completely helpless without me." Shale said sardonically, stomping over to the

"How far is it to swim?" Leliana asked.

"About twenty meters."

"And there are no obstructions?"

"No. You think you can hold your breath that long?"

She took a deep breath, holding it. After about a minute she let it out. "Easily."

"Great, four is better than three."

"What should the rest of us do?" Alistair asked.

"Head back to the main entrance hall. If we can, we'll sneak by and open that up for you." Shale stepped into the water, and Will used his telekinesis to lower him carefully to a stable landing. He then slipped in himself. "Wait here until Shale's through," he told Leliana. "I'll let you know when he's out." She nodded.

It took Will two tries to lift the massive golem out of the water. Finally, he was settled and Will signaled Leliana. She easily made it through, and Will couldn't help but remember all the skills that Leliana happened to have; stealth, archery, and who knew what else. He still felt that the answer to the mystery of her abilities was within his reach, but he couldn't think of it.

"Everyone ready?" he asked quietly a few minutes later. Everyone nodded, and he pushed the door open. A pair of werewolves looked up. Before they could even think to call for reinforcements, Will grabbed one in a Crushing Prison and Leliana shot the other.

Still, something must have squeaked out, because another werewolf poked his head in to see what was happening. When he caught sight of them, a howl went up. Will cursed under his breath, raising Spellweaver, letting it's lightning flow.

A dozen werewolves sprinted across the room towards the party. In response, Will threw a fireball, taking several out, and Shale braced himself in the doorway. The werewolves smashed into him but were unable to knock him over. One was able to squeeze by, but Will cut him down easily before blasting another wolf with an Arcane Bolt.

Suddenly, another howl echoed through the area, and the werewolves started retreating.

"Where are they going?" Leliana asked warily.

"They must know they can't beat us here." Will said quietly, keeping Spellweaver out. "They must be waiting for us to come to them." He sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice, let's go." Shale led the way as they stepped into the central room.

A trio of werewolves chose that moment to enter the room. The leader was the albino Will remembered seeing outside.

"Hold, outsider!" he snarled, glaring at Will. "We do not wish any more of our people hurt. I ask you this: are you willing to parley?" Will started.

"You know, I've tried talking to Swiftrunner several times. He always said it wasn't going to happen, but now you want to. Sound's like you're scared."

The werewolf growled again. "We do not fear you, outsider, but we do respect your strength. Swiftrunner felt that a confrontation could be avoided altogether. The Lady disagrees; she believes that you can be reasoned with. She wishes that you be brought to her." Will raised an eyebrow.

"And how do I know that this isn't simply an attempt to lure us into a trap? We have a nice defensive position here." The albino shook his head.

"You've already done enough damage to our people. Even should we manage to kill you, further fighting might completely destroy us. The Lady has decreed that we shall not fight again until she has spoken with her."

"Why doesn't she just come here herself? There's plenty of room." The werewolves bristled.

"This is the Lady's place! She will decide where she speaks with you!"

"You see, you're unwillingness to answer the question makes me think that this is all just a trap. If you're Lady really wants to talk, she can come here. Tell her that." The werewolf looked like he was about to lunge at Will, before growling and stalking away.

"What is the point of talking?" Shale asked. "Surely it realizes that the flesh creature's attempts are based on fear, and that they must be vulnerable."

"That's true." Will said quietly. "And, with proper planning, we probably could kill them all. But we're in a similar situation that they claim to be in, with every battle we fight, we run the risk of someone dying. We simply cannot afford to lose anyone."

Shale looked like he was about to continue, but Will held up his hand, he sensed something approaching.

Ten werewolves, including the albino and Swiftrunner, filed into the room, moving slowly. Will shifted his new sword into a ready grip, and the others braced themselves as well. The werewolves simply spread out, lining themselves along the back wall. Finally, a smaller figure entered the room.

Will took a slight step backwards. The spirit, for that is what she obviously was, looked at first to be human. Her long hair wrapped around her body, and roots covered her legs and arms. Her skin was a pale white with tinges of green, and her eyes were almost pure black. Still, a sense of warmth entered the room as she walked to the center, smiling gently at Will.

"Greetings, young mortal." Her voice had an ethereal quality, as if it wasn't entirely there. "I am the Lady of the Forest."

A distant memory flitted through Will's mind. Legalos had met this spirit; she had been the guardian spirit of the forest. "Adaaran atish'an, Lady," he said, bowing slightly. She nodded in response.

"To you as well, Elvhenan. No doubt you have questions. There are things that Zathrian has not told you."

"How do you know what Zathrian has or has not told me?" Will asked. The Lady smiled grimly.

"There are things he would not tell you. Important things, things such as the original creation of the curse, and the reason this was done." Will nodded fore her to continue. "It was Zathrian that created the curse that these creatures suffer. The same curse that his own people now suffer."

"Why would he do this?" Will asked quietly.

"Centuries ago, when the Dalish first passed by this forest, there was a clan of humans that lived nearby." The Lady bowed her head. "They sought to drive the Dalish away, as many groups of humans did. Zathrian was a young man then, and he had a son and daughter that he loved greatly. His wife had been taken by disease a year previously. The two were out hunting, but ran afoul of a group of the humans."

"The humans… killed the boy, though not before torturing him." Swiftrunner said quietly, his voice filled with shame. "The girl… the girl they raped, and left for dead." Will's fist clenched, his eyes hard. "The Dalish found her, healed her, but she found out later that… that she was with child. She… killed herself."

"So Zathrian created the curse to get back at the tribe." Will said coldly.

"Yes." Swiftrunner continued. "Zathrian came here, to this ruin, and summoned a powerful and terrible spirit, binding it to the body of a great wolf. Thus, Witherfang was born." He walked forward, standing beside the Lady, who placed a hand on his shoulder. "Witherfang hunted the humans of the tribe, as was his purpose. Many were killed in his vicious assault, but others were cursed by his blood, becoming twisted, savage things."

"Werewolves." Will said quietly. "But were they immortal, or did they die with time?"

"They were not immortal," the Lady said quietly. "The original werewolves are long dead, as Zathrian well knows." She sighed. "The tribe left, leaving their cursed brethren within the forest. They lived and died for centuries, mindless and savage."

"Until I found you, my Lady." Swiftrunner said, falling to his knees. "You gave me peace." She smiled gently, running her hand through Swiftrunner's fur.

"I showed Swiftrunner the other side of his nature, reawakening his humanity. Eventually, he brought others to me, and we have formed a community here."

"And yet you hold on to your hatred for Zathrian." Will said quietly. The Lady shook her head.

"Not in the way you think, mortal. All we truly wish is the curse ended. Word was sent to Zathrian every time the landships passed, asking, begging him to come and end the curse. He ignored us. In the end, we decided we no longer had the option of playing nice."

"And so you attack. You do realize that this has just made him hate you more, don't you?"

"We do. We know that he will not end the curse out of mercy, not without understanding its true cost. So we sought to teach him this cost by cursing his people." The Lady said. "If he were to just come, see these creatures plight, I'm sure he would understand. We hoped that he would come himself, to claim Witherfang's heart. Instead, he sent you." She folded her hands. "Please, go to him. Convince him to come and end this madness."

"He will never agree to end the curse." Swiftrunner snarled. "You know this."

"We cannot know that." To Will's ear, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as Swiftrunner. "Surely his rage does not run so deep that he would endanger his own clan." She turned back to Will. "If Zathrian comes, I will summon Witherfang. I possess that power." Her voice turned cold. "I also possess the power to ensure that Witherfang is never found. Tell Zathrian that. If he does not agree to break the curse, he will never be able to cure his people."

'Of course, you are Witherfang, aren't you?' Will thought. The skin, the markings, the devotion, it all fit. He didn't say this out loud, though, because he didn't want to spook them.

"You'll find the door unblocked, so you can return to Zathrian," the Lady said, gesturing towards the door she and the werewolves had entered by. "Please, you must convince him to come." With that, she stepped to the side, gesturing the werewolves to follow. The way to the door was clear.

"Be careful." Will said quietly. "There's enough room in there for a second group. Shale, cover our backs. I'll take the front." Swiftrunner snarled, he had obviously heard Will, but the Lady place a hand on his shoulder, whispering something in his ear. The rest watched carefully.

There were no more werewolves in the sanctuary. Will carefully led his companions to the door, which was indeed unblocked.

"So it would seem that the werewolves were telling a partial truth at least." Morrigan said dismissively as Will opened the door. They once more found themselves in the entrance hall of the ruin, but it was not empty.

Keeper Zathrian glanced up from where he was kneeling in the center of the room, where he had been tracing an engraving. "And so you return already." He stood, walking towards them. "I… What is that you are wearing, Warden?"

"Arcane Warrior armor." Will said quietly, studying the mage. With his enhanced sense for magic, he could see that the Dalish leader was even more powerful than he had previously imagined.

"I have… heard of such things, though I never thought that I would see any." Zathrian said, sounding mildly impressed. "Though I would love to speak with you about where you found it, we have more important business to deal with first. So, you have Witherfang's heart, yes?"

"No," Will said quietly. "We have something to discuss." Zathrian's eyes narrowed.

"You do remember what my people suffer, don't you Warden?" he said. "You need warriors to fight a Blight, and I will provide them. Now, explain why you do not have the heart."

"I spoke with the werewolves." Will said simply. "They told me how the curse came to be."

"I find that difficult to believe," Zathrian said coldly. "These are werewolves, not thinking creatures."

"The Lady was there too, the spirit you bound to Witherfang to get back at the tribe." Will said calmly, causing Zathrian to blanch. "She has been able to sooth their rage… to an extent. They want to talk to you." Zathrian's eyes narrowed again.

"Oh really. They attack my clan, and they were the same savages then that they have ever been. They should be wiped out, not defended." He gestured to Will. "Come, Warden, let us go to them. I summoned the spirit; I know how to force her into the form of Witherfang. Then, the heart can be taken and we can be done with this nonsense."

"So you will not consider talking." Will said quietly.

"What would be the point?" Zathrian snarled. "I told you, they attacked like the animals they are."

"You realize that taking the heart will not end this." Will said. "A sprit like the Lady can never be truly killed, only forced into dormancy for a time. She has pushed for the werewolves to be patient. If you slap aside her offering this time, she will never rest until your entire clan is wiped from the face of Thedas. Then who knows what will happen."

"This is not your battle, Grey Warden." Zathrian said coldly. "Finish our bargain and let us be done."

"It became my battle when you brought me into it, Keeper." Will shot back.

"You were not there!" the Keeper hissed, rage tainting his voice. "You did not see what… what the beasts who sired the monsters below us did to my son. And my daughter…" He bowed his head for a moment, before looking up. "You are not Dalish. You do not know how I have struggled to keep my clan safe. I cannot let their crimes go unanswered!"

"So half your clan isn't lying on the brink of death?" Will asked. "At least meet with them."

"And what if it is revenge they want?" Zathrian asked coolly. "Will you swear to safeguard me?"

"I swear, upon my magic and my blade, to keep you safe so long as you do not strike them first." Will said quietly. Zathrian stared at him for a moment, before sighing in frustration.

"I fail to see the purpose of this, but very well. I will come." Will nodded before turning to Leliana.

"Stay here. Tell the others what's going on." She nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. With that, Will turned and led the way back into the sanctuary.

The Lady glanced up as the group entered the room, a smile lighting up her face. "You came! And so quickly!" she called. The werewolves looked up from what they had been doing. None of them looked particularly happy.

"I have, spirit." Zathrian said dismissively. Swiftrunner leapt to his feet, howling.

"She is the Lady of the Forest!" he roared, taking a few steps forward. "You will address her properly!" the Lady swiftly placed a hand on Swiftrunner's shoulder, digging her fingers into his fur in warning.

Zathrian snorted at the outburst. "You've taken a name, spirit?" he said. "And give names to your pets?" The Lady sighed.

"It was they who gave me this name, Zathrian. And they choose their own names. They follow me because I help them to find who they really are."

"Who they are has not changed from whom their ancestors were." Zathrian said. "Wild savages, worthless dogs, no matter their form. Their hideous forms only mirror their twisted hearts."

"It is as I warned you, Lady." Swiftrunner snarled. "He has not come to talk."

"No, I have come to talk, though I see little point in it. I see where this will inevitably lead. You're nature compels it, as does mine."

"Have either of you heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Will called. "If you both believe that this cannot end another way, you will make it so, whether it is true or not."

"Please, listen to this man, he speaks wisdom," the Lady said, walking between the two hate-filled opponents. "Swiftrunner, you are better than this. Remember what I taught you. And Zathrian, I know there is room in your heart for compassion, even if you do not believe this is so. Surely your retribution is spent." Zathrian shook his head.

"My retribution is _eternal_, spirit, as is my pain. This is justice, nothing more." The Lady's eyes hardened.

"Are you sure that is the only reason you will not lift the curse, Zathrian?" she asked silkily. "Have you told the mortal how it was created?"

Will realized that he should have thought about that before. Spirits were powerful things, especially spirits of a place, such as the Lady. It would have taken unfathomable power to bind her to anything, let alone a wolf. For any mortal to gain such power…

"Yes," The Lady said as Will looked up. "I see the answer in you're eyes. Zathrian bound me to Witherfang, using the power of his own blood." Zathrian shook his head slightly, but the Lady pushed her advantage. "Your people believe that you have rediscovered the secrets of Elven immortality, but that is not so. You live as long as this curse does."

"No, that is not how it is!" Zathrian said, but his voice broke slightly. "I did it for my people! I did it for my son, my daughter! For justice, I would do anything!"

"Anything is a big word, Zathrian." Will said quietly. "Be careful when using it."

"We should kill him!" Swiftrunner called. "His life and this curse are connected. End one and you end the other!"

"No, Swiftrunner!" the Lady called. "It doesn't work like that! His life relies on the curse, not the other way around!"

"For all your powers of speech, you are beasts still." Zathrian said mockingly. "Only I know how the ritual ends, and I will never do it."

"He admits it!" Swiftrunner howled. "We must end him!" The other werewolves seemed to like the idea.

"See, it ended as we all knew it would." Zathrian said coldly. "Now, do your piece, Warden."

"Until the werewolves raise their claws against you, I am not obliged to do anything. You promised you would speak to them, not pretend to so as to convince yourself of your own superiority." In the background, the Lady was almost physically holding Swiftrunner back, singing quietly.

Zathrian stared at Will, before turning and slowly walking back towards the other end of the sanctuary. "I give you one last chance, Warden. Do your duty."

"I will when you do yours, Keeper," Will said. "Do what is best for your clan, end this madness once and for all. The heart cannot do that, only you can."

"So it has come to this," Zathrian said coldly. "If you will not do this, then I will." He raised his staff and slammed it into the ground.

A massive wave of force exploded from the impact, rushing across the ground. Will brought up a shield just in time, but was still forced back a few steps. They Lady wasn't affected in the slightest. The rest of the people in the room, human, golem, and werewolf, were tossed away.

"What are you doing, Zathrian?" Will called, drawing his sword but holding it loosely.

"I will protect my clan, as is my duty. But I will not do so by compromising my oath to my dead children." Zathrian snarled. "These monsters will never, ever be free to hurt anyone else like they hurt my little boy and girl."

"The ones who committed the crime are long dead, Zathrian!" the Lady called, stepping forward.

"It doesn't matter. It has never mattered. None of you understand!"

"How little you know, Keeper." Will snarled, his patience at an end. "In fact, I know exactly how you feel!"

"No you don't!" Zathrian screamed, lashing out with a massive wave of fire. Spellweaver slashed through it, dispelling the magic.

"You feel like the world will never be right again." Will called back, raising another shield against Zathrian's second wave of force. "You cannot consider a world without your children as a worthwhile world. The only thing that made it worse at the time is that the bastards who did it were not going to be punished. So you came here." He jumped as several roots leapt from the ground, burning them before he came down. "I agree with you. What the tribe did to you, to your children, to your clan, was so wrong that they deserved their outsides to be made to match their insides."

"So you know why I cannot release these monsters!" Zathrian cried, tears leaking down his face as he brought an ice storm down upon Will. The Lady took a step back, deciding to give Will a chance to break through.

"At the time, yes." Will said, flames spinning around him. "Now… I cannot condone it now. You want to know why?" Zathrian nodded, even though he was throwing stones at Will, which were being either dodged or sliced out of the air by Spellweaver.

"You call what you are doing justice, but it is not anymore. It was, but it is no longer." Will sighed. "These werewolves are not the same ones, they have not done anything to you're clan that was not in direct response to your own refusal to listen to them. To punish them for the crimes of their ancestors cheapens your justice. It makes a mockery of the true justice you visited upon those who committed the sins."

Zathrian finally stopped, stumbling back. "You're wrong… you're wrong…"

"They why are you crying, Zathrian? Is it perhaps because, in you're heart of hearts, you know I am right?" Will asked quietly. "It's not to late. You can still end this."

"I cannot…" Zathrian said, his staff falling from his hands. "I am too old, Warden… too set in my ways. I cannot forgive… cannot forget."

"Then don't." Will said quietly. "Understand. The ones who committed the crime do not deserve forgiveness, and to forget your children would be an even greater crime. There is no reason, however, that you cannot release the innocent." He glanced over. "Look at the Lady. She is as much a victim of your vengeance as the werewolves. Can you not release her?"

Zathrian shook his head, refusing to look at her. Will finally reached out with his own magic, grabbing the man's chin with telekinesis and pushing it towards the spirit. "Look at her, Zathrian. Understand what you have done to her."

"I…" Zathrian said, trying to look away.

"Creator…" the Lady whispered, drawing closer. "You gave me many things when you brought me into this form. Family, companionship, all the joys of flesh. However, I have only one wish. Please, let me go. Let your anger go." She gently reached out, touching his cheek.

"You shame me spi… Lady." Zathrian said. "And you… Warden. You remind me… He always said not to give into hate, that we would be no better than they were…" Zathrian bowed his head. "Yes… perhaps it is time for this to end." He reached down, slowly picking his staff up again. "I have one last request… Bring my staff to Lanaya… it has been held by the Keeper of our clan since before I assumed the position. She should have it. Will nodded, and Zathrian walked slowly to the center of the room. The Lady stood before him.

"Thank you, Creator," she whispered. The werewolves rose from where they had been pinned against the wall by a wall of roots she had brought forth at some point. They surrounded the pair, but kept a respectful distance.

"_May the chains that bind you loosen, spirit,_" Zathrian whispered in Elvish. "_You're end of the bargain is completed. I ask now for you're forgiveness, for forcing you to break your nature on my behalf._"

"_You are forgiven, my Creator,_" the Lady whispered back. "_Now, let us walk together into the light of true peace_."

"_In Uthenera na revas_," they said together, as Zathrian gave his staff a firm tap against the ground. With a final smile, he fell to his knees, before toppling to the side.

The werewolves then pressed closer to their Lady, reaching out for her. She touched their paws, smiling. Light began playing across her form, and Will saw a few tears fall from her eyes as she began to fade. Swiftrunner sniffled, still clinging to her. She smiled at him, leaves swirling gently around her. Finally, a soft light obscured her completely, leaving the circle empty. The light then spread to the werewolves, who started to shift. The light then continued, leaving the ruins.

* * *

><p>Back in the Dalish camp, Lanaya was looking over her brothers and sisters when the light reached them. Several young elves tried to catch the small motes of light that accompanied the wave, but most were simply stunned by its appearance. As it passed Lanaya, she felt the weight that had pressed down on her shoulders fade. Then, she looked at the sick, some of whom were already starting to rise, groaning.<p>

"Zathrian…" she whispered, "Goodbye, hahren. May Falon-Din see you to safety."

(Codex: Arcane Warrior)

_We walk the line, between warrior and mage. In this balance, we find discipline_

_We skirt the edge, between light and dark. In this balance, we find power_

_We stand the wall, between our people and our enemies. In this balance, we find purpose_

_We are the first and last defense of Elvhenan_

_We are the Arcane Warriors_

_ -Arcane Warrior creed._

Among the ancient elves, there were mages who trained their magical arts to augment their martial prowess. They channeled magical power through their weapons and bodies, becoming terrors on the battlefield. Like so much else, their knowledge was lost with the fall of Arlathan. All that remains is a few terror-stricken and awe-filled documents from the Tevinter Imperium, telling of all-but-invincible warrior mages who shrugged of the most terrible damage like it was nothing and wielded weapons that sliced through any defense with ease. Among the early Templar, this led to a mortal fear of ever letting mages wield a mortal weapon.

AN: Sorry about the long delay. I've been very busy with school recently. Curse research papers : (. Don't bother looking for the codex; it's a new one I made up because I couldn't find one for the Arcane Warrior. Please read and review.


	17. Songs of the Past

Reviewer Response:

KafeiDetour: Thank you! I was getting worried that no one liked this story anymore.

Chapter 16: Songs of the Past

Will smiled slightly, looking around at the former werewolves. They were looking at themselves, seeming unable to believe that they were no longer the beasts that they had probably spent their entire lives as. Swiftrunner looked up at last, smiling gingerly.

"It's over…" he said in a rich voice completely devoid of snarl. "She's gone, and we are human… I can scarcely believe it!"

"Yes, it is over," Will said. "What do you plan to do now?"

"I… don't know," Swiftrunner said slowly, looking around at the others. They shrugged as well. "I guess we will seek out other humans, try to enter society." He bowed his head to Will. "You have done us a great service, more than we had any right to ask for after what we did to you. We are forever in your debt." With that, he gestured for the others to follow him, and they quietly headed up the stairs to the exit of the ruin.

"Wait!" Will called. "We're probably headed the same way, why don't you walk with us, at least to the edge of the forest. You're not werewolves anymore, which means you're much more vulnerable." Swiftrunner turned back to him.

"No, we couldn't ask you to do that. Besides, you must return to the Dalish, and I doubt that they would be happy to see us, humans or no." He smiled. "Don't worry about us. I have a feeling that the Lady hasn't abandoned us, she has returned to her rightful place. I have faith that she will do what she can to guide us, as she always has." With a nod, Swiftrunner turned and left.

Will shrugged after a moment. He reached out his hand and pulled Zathrian's staff to his hand before speaking. "Well, we should meet up with the rest of the party and move on." The others nodded, and followed Will back to the entrance hall.

The rest of the group was watching the exit while Leliana explained what had happened since they separated.

"William!" Alistair cried as he noticed Will. "We just saw a group of humans leaving, what's going on? Where's Zathrian?"

"Dead," Will answered. "But the good news is that the curse has been ended. We're heading back to the Dalish, finish this up." With that, he turned and led the way out of the ruins.

It might have been just him, but the forest seemed… brighter than it had been when they had entered. It seemed that releasing the Lady might have done more than just ended the werewolf curse. The party's trip through the forest to the Dalish camp passed in peace. Once again, Will left the others as short distance from the camp and entered alone.

Mira met them at the entrance to the camp. "You've returned? Where is Keeper Zathrian, he followed you a while ago?" Will shook his head.

"I need to talk to Lanaya." Mira stared at him.

"You can't mean…" she whispered. Getting no response, she sighed and pointed to the aravel that Will had met Zathrian at. Lanaya walked out as he approached.

"Zathrian's gone, isn't he?" she asked sadly.

"He is. He asked me to give this to you," Will said, handing her the staff. She took it, sighing.

"I knew, the moment the curse lifted, that he was no more. I… I think that he was ready to go."

"He was," Will said quietly. "However he may have lived his life, I believe he died at peace." She nodded.

"It will be difficult to fill his shoes, Warden." She lifted her chin proudly. "But I am Keeper now, and I swear that the Dalish will uphold the ancient contract our people formed with the Grey Wardens. Call, and we will come, with great speed and purpose. We shall strike at your foes with all our strength and skill. This I swear."

Will bowed his head in response. "That's good to know. When will you be ready to move?"

"We will contact the other clans that are still in Ferelden," Lanaya said. "We many not be the most numerous people, but we will do our part."

"I'm sure you will. Ma serannas, Keeper Lanaya." She smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Warden." She then cocked her head. "If you don't mind me asking… where did you get that armor? It looks like something I've seen before, but I can't put my finger on it…"

"It's Arlathani," Will answered. "It was worn by an order of warrior mages known as the Arcane Warriors."

"Really?" Lanaya said, studying the armor curiously. "Might I ask how you found it? We Dalish know so little of our history, any piece is precious."

"It was in the Falon-Din Sanctuary, down in the lower levels of the ruin," Will answered. "However, I wouldn't recommend going in there. There are probably still some corpses hanging around, and the Sanctuary itself is a sacred place, you can't enter without a fairly persnickety ritual." Lanaya raised an eyebrow.

"Then how did you get in?"

"I… found something else. An old Soul Gem, containing the spirit of the armor's original owner. He was the one who got me through the ritual." Lanaya stared at him in shock.

"Does that mean… You have…" Will smiled slightly.

"Yes, he was kind enough to grant me his memories. I'm still not entirely comfortable with them, but with time I'll unravel them." Lanaya kept staring at him.

"This is… This is incredible! If what you say is true… There's so much we can learn from you! This may well be the biggest discovery in our history!" She studied him intently. "If you really do have these memories, then you'll be able to tell me the story behind this ring." She handed him a ring. He studied it for a moment.

"It tells the story of how Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf, sealed the other gods," he said finally. "There were once two clans of gods, the Creators and the Forgotten Ones. Fen'Harel, though a Creator, was able to walk in both camps without fear. Eventually, he devised a plan to seal the other gods. He told the Creators that a weapon to end the war was being created in the heavens, and he told the Forgotten Ones that the weapon was hidden in the abyss. Both clans trusted him, but both were betrayed, leaving Fen'Harel the only god who could directly affect the world."

Lanaya's mouth fell open. "That story has never left the Clans, never in our history…" She looked like she was about to collapse. "It's true… you have memories of our history…" She smiled. "Warden, if there is anything else we can do for you, anything at all…"

"Please, my name is William." Will said, smiling gently before glancing at the sky. "There is one thing, night is coming, and the forest is dangerous at night. I was hoping my companions and I could spend the night here. I promise they won't cause trouble." Lanaya huffed slightly.

"Oh, very well. You all have done us a service; I guess it can't hurt to let some shems stay in camp. Just make sure that they understand that we will be watching them." She smiled again. "Besides, if you spend the night, there's time to ask you some questions!" Will smiled.

"Of course." Then, he remembered the other news he had to give. "Mira mentioned that a group of hunters were sent out to find Witherfang. I'm afraid we found them." She looked confused for a moment before realizing what he was saying.

"Oh, Creators…" she groaned. "In the excitement of the curse ending, I forgot about that." She sighed. "You'll have to lead us to them, so that they can be buried properly."

Will nodded. "I'll do that." Lanaya led the way over to Mira and several other hunters, quickly telling them what was happening. Will then headed back to the rest of the party.

"Ok, the Dalish have been kind enough to let us stay in their camp for the night, on the condition that we don't cause problems. I have to go help them bring the fallen hunters back." The team nodded and left with a pair of hunters, while Will and Thunder led the way to what was left of the hunter party.

"Creators…" Mira muttered, and Will heard one hunter stumble away to be sick. This had to be even worse for them than it was for him; they had grown up with these men and women, fought with them. To see them scattered around the clearing like this…

"Warden, please tell me the monsters that did this suffered," one of the other hunters said coldly. "Please tell me that their last seconds were filled with as much pain and misery as our brothers and sisters." Will didn't have the heart to tell her that the werewolves had likely escaped, so he simply shrugged and unfolded one of the cloths the group had brought before wrapping it around one of the more intact bodies.

A few bloody minutes later, the bodies had all been gathered and carried back to the edge of the Dalish camp. The clan hunters were very quiet as they carried their fallen brethren, and Will felt it best to let them be.

"We'll bury them soon, Warden," one of the older hunters said quietly as several of the others wandered off while the rest settled into watch positions. "I just wish I could have found my wife's remains, she wasn't with this group."

"Would you're wife be Danyla?" Will asked, acting on a hunch. The elf nodded, surprised.

"Indeed. How did you know?"

"I found one elf in the forest, away from the others," Will said quietly, pulling out the scarf. "She was in so much pain, she… begged to die. She told me to give this to her husband, Athras." Athras gently took the scarf, staring at it.

"Oh Danyla…" he whispered. "Did she… suffer?"

"She doesn't any longer."

Athras nodded before turning and walking away sadly. Will watched him go, sighed, and turned to find the others. They had settled at the other edge of the camp.

"William, we were beginning to get worried about you," Wynne said quietly.

"No need, the Dalish are on our side, remember?"

"I know, and I didn't mean to imply that they weren't, but there are any number of things that might have happened. You were away for a while."

"It took longer than expected to move the bodies," Will said sadly, rubbing Thunder's head as he sat down with the others.

"So, we have two of the treaties now," Alistair said after a moment. "All that's left is the dwarves of Orzammar." He sighed. "Hopefully they haven't suffered some catastrophe that prevents them from aiding us."

"I'm sure they haven't," Leliana said comfortingly.

"Yes, that was what I was thinking as well," Alistair said. "So William, I was wondering if we could head to Denerim next. I… I want to look in on Brother Genitivi, see what he knows. Maybe we can help Arl Eamon."

"What's this about?" Zelda asked, glancing between the two Wardens. Wynne quickly explained Lady Isolde's belief that the Urn of Sacred Ashes was what would save her husband. "While it's true that the Urn is supposed to cure any illness, it has been lost for centuries."

"It can't hurt to take a quick look!" Alistair said quickly. "If it turns out that Genitivi is barking up the wrong tree, we can easily move on to Orzammar, and if he's right, we should have time to find it and get the dwarves later."

"That's true…" Will said slowly. Everyone watched him as he thought it out. Finally, he came to a decision. "Very well, we'll pass through Denerim, check in with Genitivi, and then decide what to do next."

The next few minutes passed in silence. Morrigan retreated to the edge of the forest, reading the grimiore that Will had found in the Circle. Leliana, meanwhile, had wandered away to speak to the Dalish, and Will had sent Thunder to try and prevent any… incidents.

'It says something about my companions that the person I trust most to keep others in line is a dog,' he thought wryly as he watched the pair walked off. Finally, he turned to Wynne, who had also moved away from the others. "So, Wynne, you feeling better after what happened in the forest?"

The older mage sighed. "Yes, I'm feeling better." Will raised an eyebrow, waiting. "I suppose you want to know what happened. I… suppose you have a right to know."

Will, watching the rest of the party, noticed Zelda look up curiously. Quietly, he traced a line in the air with his finger, casting a subtle sound barrier. He had a feeling that, whatever Wynne was about to tell him, it was not going to be to the Templar's liking.

"Tell me, William, what do you think defines an abomination?" Will cocked his head.

"Well… there's the whole 'possessed by a demon' thing. Do you want me to be more specific?"

"It is a terrifying thought," Wynne said, almost speaking to herself. "One slip, and you are simply gone… replaced by madness…"

"Not necessarily. We saved Connor, remember?"

"He was a special case, William. Or at least, that is what I thought." Will waited, he knew Wynne well enough to realize that she would get around to her point eventually. "Of late, however, I have begun to wonder. Is there any way to cure an abomination? Or if there is a way that a mage could be possessed, yet retain their humanity?"

Will suddenly had a feeling he knew where this was going. "If the mage retains their humanity," he said carefully, "can they truly be considered an abomination?"

"What do you mean?" Wynne asked.

"It seems to me what truly defines an abomination is the loss of one's self to the demon; it using your body to work its will. Why are we talking about this?" Somehow, he knew what the answer would be.

"… Yes, you deserve to know," Wynne sighed. "Petra told you of what happened in the tower, how I saved her. I… I did not survive the encounter with that demon."

"…Well, this case of death is taking a while to set in," Will said. He noticed Zelda still trying to listen in and reinforced the sound barrier.

"Yes," Wynne said. "As I lay dying, a presence surrounded me. It restored strength and life to my body, so that I might go on." She smiled slightly. "I had sensed this spirit before, though we had never directly interacted. Several of the other spirits I commune with call it Faith."

"So this Faith has been interested in you for a while?" Will asked.

"Yes, ever since I first came to the tower, perhaps even earlier. When I was in the Fade, it would come, sometimes as a glowing light, but mostly as a force. It never spoke, though it would sometimes help me when I was in trouble. It was one of the things that drove me to become a Spirit Healer."

"Well, by the sound of it, you never technically died. It saved you before you crossed that line." Will's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Wait… how does this tie in with your collapse in the forest?"

"To be blunt, Faith is weakening. It continually works to keep me alive, but it will fail eventually."

"So, how long are we talking? Weeks? Months?"

"I'm afraid I do not know, William," Wynne said gently. "Faith is strong, it has kept me alive this long." Will couldn't help but smile slightly at the double meaning of those words. Wynne noticed, and chuckled. "Yes, that did sound odd, didn't it?"

"Well, its nice to know that you consider this quest important enough that you'll come along." Wynne nodded.

"I will not spend my last days huddled in a bed feeling sorry for myself," she said fiercely. "I will see this through, I promise."

"Thank you, Wynne," Will said, smiling slightly.

* * *

><p>The next few days passed in relative peace. The party left the Bricillian Forest (to Will's relief) and took a branch of the Imperial Highway north.<p>

It was not to last.

"We're going to have to detour soon," Morrigan said curtly as she returned to her human form. "The highway's been damaged up ahead, it's completely impassible."

"How did that happen?" Alistair asked. "The Imperial Highway is one of the most important methods of transportation in Ferleden."

"It seems you were mistaken," Morrigan snickered. "If that were the case, people would have taken better care of their road."

"You're both right to an extent," Wynne said quickly as Alistair opened his mouth to retaliate. "The western and northern sides of the highway are considered more important, seeing as that's where the majority of the population resides. This particular bit is likely too near the Bricillian Forest for most people's comfort.

"However it happened," Will said, "we should get going. I assume you found us another rout."

"Yes," Morrigan agreed. "There's another path that goes through the forest and seems to come out on the other side of the damaged section." Will sighed; of course they would have to go back into that forest.

"Keep your wits about you when we're in there," he said as they walked down the ramp and towards the dirt path leading into the forest. "Hopefully, we won't meet anything dangerous, but the forest is not know for being safe." The others nodded, and the party entered the trees again.

Will's senses seemed to have sharpened since he had become an Arcane Warrior, even more than his Grey Warden boosts. Thus, as they reached the river gorge that passed through their path, his ears picked up something that sounded suspiciously like voices from the small cliff on the other side. He held up a hand to stop the others, focusing all his attention.

"What is it?" Leliana asked quietly.

"There's someone up there," Will whispered back. He opened his mouth to order Morrigan to check it out when the source of the voice reveled itself. A man in armor stepped up to the ridge. His studied the group for a moment before raising the loaded crossbow he had been holding.

"This is it!" he yelled, firing the bolt at Leliana. She ducked, drawing her bow as she did. A moment later, she dove behind Shale as a line of archers, both longbows and crossbows, stepped up and released their own volley. Meanwhile, a group of warriors, including a man who looked like a Qunari, appeared on the path ahead of them.

Will immediately recognized that this was a horrible strategic position for the party to be in. They were stuck on a thin strip of land between a sheer drop and a steep cliff. Whoever had planned this had known what they were doing. Still, they couldn't retreat, that would just leave them open to the line of archers.

"Take cover and return fire! Shale and shields in front! Sten, Thunder, on me!" he shouted, blocking the arrows that came near him with an Arcane Shield before throwing an Arcane Bolt towards the warriors with Spellweaver. One toppled with a scream, the chokepoint hurt them as much as it hurt them.

"The Tal-Vashoth is mine, Warden!" Sten hissed as he joined Will. The others were using Shale as a shield. Will nodded, blocking another few arrows. He then led the charge into the blocking warriors.

It seemed that they were not prepared for a Qunari, a mabari warhound, and an Arcane Warrior. Will had spent time every night at camp practicing with Spellweaver, and while he was not yet anywhere near what Legalos would have considered acceptable swordsmanship, with the speed and strength boost of both his Warden blood and magic, he was able to slice through the humans who got in his way. Thunder, meanwhile, drove one man off the cliff before leaping on another.

Sten yelled something in the Qunari language at the other giant, who growled in return and raised his maul. The two titans clashed, their massive weapons causing a frightful noise. They traded blows for a moment before the other Qunari said something. Whatever he said seemed to piss Sten off, as he roared in rage and started grappling with his opponent. After a few tense moments, Sten was able to throw the enemy into another warrior before killing them both with a massive sweep of his sword.

The rest of the party was still hunkered behind Shale, Alistair and Zelda. Leliana had started stealthing for a moment and taking a shot, but her aim suffered, meaning that she had only been able to hit one enemy in the shoulder. Morrigan, meanwhile, had taken a nasty hit to the side in the initial ambush and was being treated by Wynne. As Will killed the last warrior, several of the archers turned their attention to him.

"Come on!" he hissed to Sten, holding a shield as he ran towards the bridge. Sten nodded and Thunder barked, both running alongside Will so as to stay behind the shield. They crossed the bridge, meeting another Qunari. "Take him! Thunder and I will go on!" Sten nodded and engaged, leaving the others free.

All the crossbowmen had turned to engage Will and Thunder as they crested the rise. Will had expected this, his shield warding off their bolts. Rather than try to reload, they simply dropped their empty weapons and drew a variety of nasty melee weapons. Will laughed quietly, flames wreathing themselves along Spellweaver's blade.

"SCATTER!" the leader shouted as Will threw his fireball. Only nine were able to escape the blast, five warriors and four archers. Thunder sprinted forward, tackling one of the enemies while Will advanced, Spellweaver spinning in his hand.

Meanwhile, with the archer's scattered, Leliana and the mages down below were able to attack more effectively, picking off the four enemy archers. The leader glanced around, realizing that the tide had turned. One of the men tried to make a break for it, but Thunder leapt up on his back. The other three rushed Will at the same time.

His sword snaked out, opening the first enemy's gut through his armor while he batted the leader aside with telekinesis. He ducked a desperate strike from the remaining enemy before raising his hand and engulfing the man in flame. He then spun to block the leader's mace with Spellweaver.

"What... what are you?" he whispered in horror as Will shoved him back. His shield was barely able to catch Spellweaver's next strike, earning a deep scar.

"I am a Grey Warden, and an Arcane Warrior," Will said coldly.

"Damnit! I didn't sign up to fight no Warden!" the man squeaked, throwing his mace down. Will raised an eyebrow, keeping his sword ready.

"Really. You're too well armed to be bandits. Didn't Loghain tell you who you were supposed to kill?" The man looked surprised.

"Loghain? As in the regent. We weren't working for him. Or at least, I didn't think we were."

"Then who are you working for?" Will asked. "Who were you sent to kill?"

"The redhead girl," the assassin said quickly. "We were told to make sure she died."

This surprised Will even more. "Who would want to kill Leliana? You sure you have the right person?"

"I think I know who," Leliana said coldly as she arrived. She stalked over to the man and spun him to face her. "The woman who hired you was Orleasian, wasn't she?" The man flinched under her icy gaze.

"I… I think so!" he said quickly. "We worked through an intermediary, I never met her myself. But the emissary was Orlesian, and he referred to the client as 'my Lady!'" Leliana cursed in Orlesian.

"Why now, after all this time?" she muttered to herself. Then she returned her attention to the enemy. "When were you to meet her if you succeeded?"

"I…" the man started, before flinching again as Leliana took a step forward. Will was surprised just how scary she looked; he was used to the smiling girl who tried to see the best in everyone. "I have a map! Right here!" the assassin pulled a piece of parchment out of his pouch and held it out to Leliana. She took it and studied it.

"Denerim?" she asked, and the man nodded rapidly. "It's… fitting, I suppose." Her eyes remained hard as she studied the man. "Now, what to do with you?"

"I'm through!" the enemy said quickly, falling to his knees. "Please! This was never personal! We were all offered a huge amount of money! I swear I'll stay away!" Leliana studied him, before drawing a single blade. The man flinched, his eyes closed. After a moment, Leliana dropped the dagger in front of him.

"Keep this, as a reminder of what I'll do to you if you try to hurt me or my friends again," Her voice was cold enough to chill even Will's blood. There was no doubt that Leliana, the gently Chantry sister, would carry out her threat if she had to.

"Thank you, miss!" the man said, looking like he was about to start kissing her feet. He grabbed the dagger and slipped it into his belt. "I won't forget this!" With that he leapt to his feet and rushed away, through the members of the party and down the path.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Will asked as he watched the man flee. Leliana sighed, the dark look on her face fading somewhat.

"Just… something I had hoped to forget," she sighed, "It seems, however, that the Maker did not will it to be." Her eyes narrowed. "Well, it seems I know what I'll be doing in Denerim."

"I was hoping that you would be more specific," Will said, keeping an eye on her. She glanced at him before closing her eyes.

"I… I guess you deserve to know. This affects you as well." She gestured that they continue on their way. The party walked in silence for a minute, spreading out. Will waited for Leliana to gather her thoughts.

"Have you ever heard of the Orlesian Bards?" she asked finally. Will blinked.

"An organization of spies and saboteurs, right?"

"Yes. Masters of moving through the Orlesian courts, equally at ease with a blade as with a word." She sounded slightly bitter as she said this. "And I was one of them, once."

"What happened?" Will asked.

"After Lady Cecilia died, I didn't really know what to do with myself," Leliana continued, not seeming to have heard him. "Not until Marjolaine came." She blinked slightly. "We had met a year or so before. I didn't know what she was then, but she was… kind to me. She told me that I had a lot of potential as a minstrel, as well as giving me a few bits of advice. She returned after Lady Cecilia's funeral; offered to give me a job." Will realized that she would have to work through this story at her own pace, and remained silent.

"She taught me how to be a bard. She showed me how to read people at a glance, how to become the person you needed to be in any give situation. We worked together for years. She meant everything to me." Leliana's breath caught.

"Something went wrong?" Will said quietly after a minute of silence.

"Yes…" Leliana said, still not looking at him. "We were working on a job, seemed like any other. We were planting some documents. Out of curiosity, I took a look at them." She took a deep breath. "They were not simply embarrassing letters, but Orlesian state secrets. If these remained where they were, they could cause a great deal of damage, they might have even led to a war. I confronted Marjolaine, and she told me to stop worrying. I trusted that she knew what she was doing." Leliana chuckled mirthlessly. "I suppose she did. She knew exactly what she was doing when she stabbed me in the back." Another tense silence followed this.

"So, you eventually arrive at the Chantry?" Will asked. Leliana nodded.

"I was imprisoned for a while," She paused before continuing. "However, I was able to escape, and took refuge in the Chantry." She smiled sadly. "They didn't care that I was a foreigner, they didn't ask why I was there, they just healed my injuries and gave me a chance to recover. It was… eye opening. I had forgotten what it was like, to be able to relax. I found peace there. I've been with the Chantry ever since."

"So you think this Marjolaine wants to finish what she started?" Will asked.

"Without a doubt."

"She'll probably have a plan in case you survived this. I don't think you should face her alone." Leliana glanced at him.

"Are you offering?" Will nodded.

"You've done a great deal to help defeat the darkspawn, even though you had no real stake in the situation beyond being in the Blight's path. It's only right that I do the same for you."

"But… aren't you mad that I didn't tell you any of this before?" Will shook his head.

"No, I don't. I know the desire to forget certain events." The pair lapsed into silence, eventually drifting apart.

The party reached the Highway again and continued on to Denerim.

* * *

><p>'It has been a long time, and yet it doesn't seem to have changed a bit' Leliana thought as she stood beside William on the small knoll outside the city of Denerim. With them were Alistair, Zelda, Wynne, and Thunder. Morrigan, Sten, and Shale had elected to stay outside the city. All three would stand out like sore thumbs, and none of them had any particular wish to enter what Morrigan had called "This disease-ridden hub of all of humanities faults."<p>

"When we reach the city, we'll split up." William said quietly, glancing back at the companions that were entering the city. Alistair, Zelda and Wynne were all still in their Templar and mage outfits, hopefully they would be mistaken for an official Circle group, which they technically were. Leliana herself was wearing a cloak over her light armor, but wore her bow openly. William had the most trouble disguising himself, city guards tended to frown upon elves carrying weapons. He carried a pack (with his Arcane Warrior armor in it) as well as what looked like a spare bow case (that hid Spellweaver). They were hoping that the guards would mistake him for Leliana's servant. She had tried to object, but he had reminded her that appearance did not make reality, he could handle it. Still, it felt strange to see him like this.

"The three of us will gather what supplies we need," Wynne continued calmly. "while you and Leliana are off… dealing with whatever you have to do. Then, we'll find where this Brother Genitivi is."

"We'll rendezvous after three hours, and continue from there." William finished. "Here's to hoping nothing goes wrong." The party had decided that caution was the better part of valor here in Denerim. This was the heart of Loghain's power, and they couldn't afford to be detected. This plan gave them the greatest chance of doing what they needed to do in the city without attracting attention.

The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. Alistair, Wynne, and Zelda were greeted by the guards at the gate with something between fear and awe, and were not hassled at all. A group of refugees served to mask Leliana, William, and Thunder. They caught a brief glimpse of the others before they separated.

"Marjolaine's safehouse is on the other side of the river," Leliana said quietly as they walked along the edge of the Market District. William nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Normally I'd say that the fastest way is through the Alienage, but that would probably cause more problems than it solves. We'll take the main bridge." That sounded wise to Leliana.

"I appreciate what you're doing," Leliana said after a few minutes. This was really her fight, there had been no need for William to get involved. He nodded, watching a group of children who were playing on the other side of the bridge they were crossing.

"I meant what I said before," he responded as they ducked into a back alley to avoid traffic. "You've been a big help on this messed up quest. Besides, if we don't deal with this, she might try again." Leliana nodded grimly.

"Yes, she would. Once she's decided something, it's incredibly difficult to get her to let it go." She sighed. "Still, I would have thought several years would have dulled whatever anger she had at me." 'I just wish I knew what had started it,' she thought to herself. 'That wasn't the first time I had questioned her.'

William shrugged before coming to a halt, raising his hand. Leliana paused, closing her eyes and focusing her ears. Finally, she heard the sound of voices from a parallel alley, voices that indicated someone was in distress. William glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, asking her opinion.

Leliana had already made her choice. Sometimes the right thing was not the easiest or the smarter thing. "Let's go," she said quietly, drawing her bow. William nodded with a grim smile, drawing his shining sword. The two sprinted to the source of the voices, only to find a circle of rough looking men surrounding someone.

"Get away, you brigands!" a male voice called from the circle. He sounded scared, yet defiant. "I've already lost everything to the Darkspawn, there's nothing left for you!"

"Well, if that's the case," one of the bandits said. "We may just have to take your life as payment." William's eyes narrowed, and he quite deliberately kicked a stone at his feet into the back of the speaker's head. Leliana chuckled slightly, that was an amusing way of getting a bandit's attention.

"What do we have here?" the lead bandit said as he turned to study the trio, rubbing the point where the stone hit. His angry demand was interrupted when one of his men suddenly started cursing.

"Oh _shit_, not you!" the man wailed, pointing at William. "Are you _stalking_ us or something?" Leliana glanced at William, who looked confused for a moment before his face broke out in an evil smirk.

"You're from the Lothering lot, huh?" he snickered. Leliana remembered the group of bandits William had blasted aside as the group left Lothering, and had heard the story of him defeating another group at the entrance.

"Yes, and you keep ruining everything!" the man shouted desperately.

"Hold on, what are you babbling about?" the bandit leader snarled, glaring at his subordinate.

"This is the guy who drove us up from Lothering, even before the Darkspawn hit! He kills bandits like us as a morning exercise! We've got to get out of here!"

"Bull!" the leader shouted, hitting the younger bandit with his mace hard enough to knock him down. "There's _three_ of them, counting the mutt! We won't…"

William cut him off by yanking his legs out from underneath him with telekinesis. "First and last chance. Leave."

"Kill them!" the leader shouted, pointing at the trio as he clambered to his feet.

Several of the bandits simply fled, but the rest charged, raising their weapons. William shook his head.

"On your head be it," he said as a fireball flew from Spellweaver and blasted the core of the force. Leliana released the arrow she had drawn, pierced the throat of one of the more armored foes on the flank, and Thunder leapt, snarling, onto another enemy.

Three knife-wielders tried to mob William, but his sword flashed twice, beheading one and opining the second's gut. His off hand, meanwhile, grabbed the final man's wrist, broke it, and threw him into another bandit who was trying to jump Leliana. She had shot a second bandit before drawing her daggers, pushing a mace aside before disemboweling the wielder. Thunder had finished ripping the throat of his first target and was circling the civilian protectively, snarling at the two robbers who were trying to get to him. The sight of a snarling mabari with blood dripping from his mouth unnerved them, causing them to flee for their lives.

Others were starting to have the same idea, throwing down their weapons as the two lightly armored but talented fighters continued to rip through them. Leliana heard the sound of running footsteps behind her, and activated her stealth in time to dodge an overhead swing from a hatchet. The mugger spun around, trying to find out where she had gone, only to fall as she stabbed him in the back with one blade while slitting a nearby throat with the other. William, meanwhile, continued mixing magic with Spellweaver's slashes, moving faster than Leliana's eyes could track. Finally, the last enemies were either killed or fled.

"Are you alright?" Leliana asked gently, wiping her blades clean and putting them away as she crouched down next to the refugee. His mouth was moving soundlessly as he watched William clean Spellweaver off, still looking around in case any more enemies tried to attack them.

"I… He…" the man gibbered, pointing shakily at William, who glanced over and took a step closer. "G...get away from me!" the man shouted, stumbling to his feet and sprinting away.

William stood perfectly still as he watched the man flee, his eyes cold. Leliana blinked slightly. They had just saved the man's life, and he was still acting like William was some great evil simply because he could use magic? That had always been one of her major disagreements with the Chantey; she had had friends who were mages, and they hadn't turned out evil simply because they were outside the Circle.

"Let's go," William said finally, his voice filled with cold anger. "We've wasted enough time here." With that, he turned and stalked away. Thunder and Leliana glanced at each other before hurrying after the irate mage. A tense silence filled the air.

"We didn't waste time," Leliana said finally. "Even if he wasn't grateful about it, we saved that man's life. That's never a waste of time." William remained silent. Leliana watched him as they continued on, thinking about the abrupt change in demeanor. He had to have faced this every day since he "became" a mage, so it was only natural he would be sour about it.

Finally, they reached Marjolaine's safehouse. William slipped quietly into a different alleyway and put his armor on as Leliana and Thunder kept an eye on the door.

"Password?" a voice grunted through the door.

"Astre" William said. The password had been given at the bottom of the map that had led them to this place. This put Leliana on edge, it was too sloppy for Marjolaine. If the assassination attempt failed, then the map would have been easily found.

'Maybe that's what Marjolaine is hoping for. Maybe this is a trap,' she thought. She found herself even more glad that William was with her as the door opened.

"My Lady is expecting you," the Qunari said. He looked straight at Leliana. "And you as well."

"So this was a trap," Leliana said as the trio entered, noting another Qunari standing against the wall, studying them as they passed. William nodded grimly, his eyes flicking between the guards. They passed through the small room they were in and entered the main room.

In an armchair in the center of the room sat a beautiful woman, gently stroking a lute and singing to herself. She wore what looked like noble's garments, though Leliana noticed it was a bit too bulky, there was likely armor underneath. She glanced up as the group entered. It was Marjolaine.

"Leliana!" she called, rising to her feet and putting the lute aside. It was almost as if she was greeting an old friend, rather than the person she had tried to have assassinated. Leliana tensed slightly. "It 's _so_ lovely to see you again, my dear!" She raised her arms, blowing a few strands of brown hair out of her face.

"Spare me the pleasantries, Marjolaine," Leliana said. She was suddenly surprised by just how _angry_ she was. Where as even just a few moments before, she had been worried and a bit angry, now it was all she could do to avoid attacking Marjolaine right now.

"Oh, you must excuse ze shabby accommodations, Leliana," Marjolaine continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "But you know zese Fereldens. Zis country smells of wet dog! Everywhere I go," Thunder yipped, obviously displeased with the insult on his species.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely conversation, but I think you know why we're here," William said coolly, his eyes narrowed. Marjolaine studied him, her eyes shining uncomfortably. Unless she had changed even more completely than Leliana thought, she was planning something to do with the Warden.

"Ah, ze Warden," she said gently. "I am so sorry about ze misunderstanding. I only became aware of your presence when it waz too late to recall ze strike force."

"Why?" Leliana asked. "Why are you still trying to kill me?" Marjolaine laughed.

"Kill you, my dear?" she said. "Please, I knew you could deal with zat many easily. You proved that when you escaped." She smiled, making Leliana even more uneasy. "No, zey were simply to draw you to me, so that we could talk."

"You know, a piece of parchment and some ink is a lot cheaper than assassins," Will said. "Also, far less likely to lead to… misunderstandings."

"Not now, William," Leliana said, she wasn't in the mood for humor. "Why are you in Ferelden, Marjolaine?"

"In truth?" Leliana nodded slowly. "You have knowledge zat you can use against me. For my own safety, I cannot let you be," Marjolaine shook her head, trying to look sad, though Leliana noticed the slight twitch of her lip that she was holding back humor.

"Why now?" William asked. His eyes were roaming around the room, probably trying to spot any traps.

"Did you think I did not know where you were, my sweet Leliana?" Marjolaine continued, ignoring William. "I knew you were in zat backwards _watering hole_ mere days after you arrived." Marjolaine started pacing slightly, her boots sounding louder in the silence. "'What is she up to?' I wondered. 'What is with ze peasant robe and ze short, boyish hair?' Truly a crime, zat, you had such lovely hair." Her smile became brittle. "You were planning something, you had to be. But for the life of me, I could not figure out what. You sent no secret messages, met with no accomplices. Why, for a while, I was beginning to think you truly wanted to leave the Game. Then, finally, you left, quite suddenly, with several seeming strangers. What was I supposed to think?"

"That the world doesn't revolve around you?" William said. "That, perhaps, Leliana had more important things to do with her time that obsess over someone she left behind years ago. I think you need a new hobby."

Marjolaine laughed, turning her attention back to William. "Oh, she has done a first rate job on you, my friend! Had she still been my pupil, I would have given her full marks!" She shook her head. "Let me break ze illusion, William Surana. Leliana is no pious, gently Chantry girl. No, she is a master of ze Game, surpassed only by her teacher, namely me, and even I have trouble with her sometimes." Her eyes bored into William. "One cannot simply leave the Game. She told you, yes. Told you of ze excitement, ze warm feeling one gets in zeir gut from a successful mission. Zat is what drives ze Bard, and once you have felt it in your soul, it will _never, ever leave_." She laughed as Leliana took a step back. "You zink you are ze first to try to escape? No, my dear, you are but one of many who said zat zey were done, finished. Zey all came back, in one way or another."

"That's not true…" Leliana said, but a small part of her laughed along with Marjolaine, telling her that she was lying to herself.

William, however, looked bored. "Yes, yes, a nice speech," he said. "But let _me_ break _your_ little illusion." He took a slight step forward. "I have seen Leliana's dreams, and they tell a tale of peace. She stood not over a defeated foe, with you by her side, but in a Chantry, gently speaking with the Maker. Perhaps you were to _weak_ to leave this precious _Game_ of yours, but Leliana is not." He chuckled. "Besides…" He blurred into motion, and a second later the air behind him shimmered as a previously stealthed woman slid off Spellweaver, dead. "… she has proven herself time and again. Even if I had not seen what I had seen, I would trust her all the same."

Marjolaine's smile froze, before slowly turning into an ugly leer. "I see zat she has done a better job than I imagined." She let out a sharp whistle, and the guards kicked the door open while several more men, including a mage, entered from side rooms. "You have one chance, Warden. I have no quarrel with you. Leave Leliana to me, and continue your battle against ze Blight."

"I would say something incredibly impolite to you, but I wouldn't want to hurt your delicate Orlesian sensibilities," William said, smirking. "Leliana, she's all yours. Thunder and I will deal with the lackeys." The mabari barked an affirmative, glaring at the mage with a hungry look in his eyes.

"Very well," Marjolaine said coldly, shoving some papers off the table beside her and grabbed a pair of daggers. "I feel sorry for you, Warden, about to die for something zat is none of your business."

"The second you threatened a member of my team, it became my business!" William said before spinning in place, killing both the Qunari with a single slash across both their throats.

Leliana, however, had eyes only for Marjolaine. She drew her own blades, shrugging her bow from her shoulders.

"Do you really think you can defeat me, my little Leliana?" Marjolaine said, advancing. Distantly, Leliana noted William and Thunder tearing through Marjolaine guards. "I taught you everything you know."

"Not everything, Marjolaine," Leliana said coldly, before she jabbed with her left dagger. On one of their early missions, Marjolaine had taken an injury on that side, it was slightly weaker than her right.

Marjolaine pushed it aside and riposted, chuckling. "So slow, _mon cher_. You were faster once."

"So were you," Leliana countered as she blocked two stabs and a slash. "Age catching up with you?"

Marjolaine looked angry for a moment before laughing. "A fine attempt, Leliana, but not good enough." She made a quick slash with both daggers before aiming a kick at Leliana's knee. Her dress hampered her, however, and not only was Leliana able to deflect both blows, but make a jab of her own. It missed when Marjolaine twisted aside, but only just.

"Dress for the occasion," Leliana said as she backed up a step. With a quick glance, she noticed that William and Thunder were finished, and had backed out of the way. "Didn't you tell me that once?"

"Indeed I did, Leliana," Marjolaine said. With several quick slashes, she removed the lower portion of her dress, "A shame about ze dress, but clothes can be replaced." She darted forward again, her daggers scything through the air. Leliana soon found herself falling back. She had always been better with a bow than with her blades. Now that Marjolaine was no longer slowed by her dress, she clearly had the upper hand.

Leliana knew she had to try something new, and fast. As she let her instincts handle the fight, she started running through her options. Finally, she realized that all she had was her last, most desperate trump card.

She activated stealth.

Marjolaine was keenly aware of the limitations and strengths of this particular bit of enchanted jewelry, but in that single moment while her mind caught up, Leliana lashed out with both her daggers at Marjolaine left side.

The older woman's dodge was a half-second too slow. She avoided injury, but her dagger was knocked out of her hand. She took three long steps backwards.

"Interesting. I did not anticipate that you would have one of zose," Marjolaine said calmly. With that, she reached into her pocked and drew out a stealth enhancer of her own. "Fortunately, I happen to have one here." She vanished a moment later, temporarily blinding Leliana.

Leliana slowed her breathing; any imperfections in her stealth could be fatal now. Marjolaine had told her about these battles, they could last for hours until one combatant finally made a mistake. She had one advantage, as Marjolaine had reeled, Leliana had moved. Still, she didn't know exactly where her former mentor was.

Every sound in the room suddenly seemed twice as loud. Thunder huffed slightly, probably wishing to just step in and help. William, meanwhile, simply remained in place, his eyes moving around the room. Leliana moved slowly towards Marjolaine's fallen dagger; she might try to get it back and turn this back into a straight duel.

'What do I do now?' she thought, looking around. 'She was always better than me at this, and I haven't practiced in ages!' She squelched the panic that had started to rise in her; it would only make things worse.

As the panic receded, a memory drifted to the top of her mind. As Lady Cecilia had aged, her eyesight had failed fast. Still, she said that, as it did, she could hear better, as if the Maker had compensated her for taking her sight by sharpening her other sense.

Leliana had no chance of seeing Marjolaine, she was just too good at these stealth duels. Her only chance was to hear the other woman. She let her eyes drift shut.

The sounds of the room became even sharper. She could hear the slight _drip, drip_ of blood falling from the wounds that William had killed the guards with. She could hear the rustle of Thunder's fur as he shifted. She could hear the wind blowing through a window in the house.

_ There!_

A slight creak of the floor was heard from the opposite side of the room from William. Opening her eyes, Leliana carefully turned her head enough to see the point she thought the sound had come from. After a moment, the tiniest shimmer betrayed Marjolaine's position.

Leliana stayed still, watching. After a minute, it became apparent that Marjolaine knew where she was and was moving to hit her. At her current rate of movement, Leliana had only a few minutes to come up with a plan, less if she wanted to avoid making Marjolaine suspicious.

It only took her a moment to come up with a plan, beautiful in its simplicity. She started carefully walking backwards. She made just enough movement to be visible, but still look like a mistake.

Marjolaine took the bait. Her movement towards Leliana became slightly faster, indicating she was moving in for the kill. Leliana had one chance to get this right. She took another backwards step, keeping her eyes on Marjolaine. A slightly louder creak was heard as Marjolaine raised her knife.

It was over a moment later.

One of Leliana's blades had sliced the downward swinging arm as the second buried itself into Marjolaine's gut.

The two women stared at each other. Leliana watched blood slowly begin to trickle out of Marjolaine's mouth as she blinked, shocked.

"It… seems… you…" she coughed. "…truly are… a master… at ze Game." She laughed, her eyes closing painfully. "Ze teacher… has given… her final lesson." With that, Marjolaine slowly slid off Leliana's blade and crumpled to the floor.

Leliana gazed down at the corpse of her former mentor, her blades hanging limply at her side. Watching the blood of the betrayer seep onto the floor, she felt a fierce joy flood her.

This was replaced almost immediately by horror. How could she feel _happy_ that Marjolaine was dead? After all the good times they had shared? Memories started flashing through Leliana's mind; how Marjolaine had consoled her after Lady Cecilia had died. How had it come to this? Did one harmful deed really counteract years of friendship?

"Nicely done," William said, clapping slightly. He seemed to be unaware of the emotional turmoil Leliana was going through. "I was beginning to get worried. Couldn't figure out which of you was which." Leliana ignored him, still staring down at Marjolaine. "Are you hurt?" William asked, taking a step closer.

Leliana's emotions finally burst through. Tears started leaking from her eyes as she fell to her knees. "Why?" she whispered, speaking more to Marjolaine's body than William. "Why did it have to be this way? We were friends once! Why did you do this to me?"

"Ummm, is that a rhetorical question?" William asked, crouching down. "Weren't you listening to her, she couldn't grasp the idea that you weren't interested anymore." Thunder gently pressed his head against Leliana's arm, whining slightly.

"Go… just go…" Leliana choked out. "I… need some time."

* * *

><p>Zelda leaned back against a wall in the Market District. Wynne was busy getting the supplies, and Alistair was doing… something; he hadn't been very specific. That left Zelda with little to do except wait.<p>

Idly, she turned her head to look at a pair of men who were speaking nearby. Since becoming a Templar initiate, she had not had much of a chance to interact with people other than mages or other templar, so it was a nice change to be out and about.

"Did you hear what happened over at that mage tower?" one of the men whispered to the other. Zelda suppressed a sigh. She had hoped that that mess would have escaped notice, but it seemed that the rumors were flying.

"No, what?" the other man asked.

"Apparently there was some sort of trouble," the first man continued, glancing at Zelda. She kept her face carefully blank and kept her eyes forward, though her ears remained pricked. She was interested to know what people were saying.

"They're mages, there's always trouble," the second man said dismissively.

"Well, more so than usual. I have a cousin that lives over there, and he said that the Templar shut down the docks."

"Is this the same cousin who was talking about the secret rendezvous between Teyrn Loghain and that Orlesian empress What's-her-name?" the other man snickered. The first gossiper prickled.

"Yeah, he has some weird theories, but this one seemed legitimate!"

"Well, you said there _was_ trouble. What happened?"

"He didn't say. All he said was that a large number of Templar arrived, and a few minutes later everything went back to normal."

The second man chuckled. "Maybe they killed all those freaks off. About time if you ask me."

"I'm not sure," the other man said warily. "My cousin overheard a couple of Templar in the bar before they left the area. They were talking about some kind of 'Dragon Mage.' Seemed to think he, it, whatever, was still alive." Zelda barely stopped herself from giggling. She had the feeling that William would be incredibly annoyed with that name if he ever found out about it.

"Great, that's just what we need," the second man groaned. "Mages messing with dragons. Just lovely." The two men fell silent, eventually drifting away.

"Well, I'm done." Wynne said a moment later, handing Zelda one of the packs she had gotten filled. "Is Alistair done yet?"

"Not yet," Zelda said, glancing over at the Warden. He had succeeded in finding where Brother Genitivi lived, but had said that he wanted to do something else as well. He was tapping his foot slightly, obviously waiting for something. Finally, a boy ran up to him, handing him what looked like a piece of parchment. Alistair looked at it for a long moment before ambling over.

"Anything going on, Alistair?" Wynne asked. He glanced up.

"What? Oh, no… well yes… no… yes… well," he stammered. "I've been trying to find someone."

"A friend of yours?" Zelda asked. Alistair blushed slightly.

"No." Zelda raised an eyebrow, causing Alistair to blush even more. "And before you say anything, she's not a '_friend_' either." He took a breath. "It's my sister."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Wynne said. Alistair shuffled his feet.

"Well, it's actually more accurate to say half sister. You… know about my parentage, don't you?"

"Yes," Wynne said. "I overheard you and Morrigan talking about it."

"You mean that time she started gloating?" Alistair muttered. "Yes, my mother had a child besides me. I never knew about her, not until I became a Grey Warden." He glanced around. "I'm not sure if she knew about me, either, come to think of it."

"So," Zelda said after a moment of silence. "Are you going to go meet her?"

Alistair jerked. "I was thinking of it, but I don't know. What does one say to a family member one has never met before?"

"Nothing, unless you take a chance," Wynne said gently. "I'm sure it will be fine. As they say, blood runs thicker than water."

Alistair looked slightly heartened at that. "Well, I guess it can't hurt," he said bravely. "And we have time before William and Leliana return."

"That's the spirit, Alistair," Wynne said, smiling. Alistair nodded bravely and walked resolutely towards the homes bordering the market district.

He stopped halfway.

Zelda sighed, it was obvious the Warden was incredibly nervous. She supposed she wasn't in any position to talk, thinking about any one of the twenty letters she had never sent. She shook the thought out of her head as Wynne chuckled and walked over to him.

"Alistair, you don't have to be nervous," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sure your sister will be happy to see you. I know that if my son were to suddenly return to my life, I would embrace him without a though."

"You have a son?" Alistair asked, staring at Wynne. Zelda looked down, she knew where this was going.

"Yes. He was taken from me and sent to another Circle. I don't even know what he looks like, how he's doing, where he is. But I do know that I love him still." She gave Alistair a little push. "Go on, go talk to her."

"Will you come with me?" Alistair asked, looking for a moment like a lost child.

"This is your sister, your family," Wynne said, but smiled. "However, if it makes you feel better, I'll be there for the introduction, just to set your mind at ease. I won't say anything, just be there." Alistair looked relieved, and finally led the way to one house that looked the same as any other. Alistair raised his hand and knocked.

"Who is it?" a voice called as the door opened. A middle-aged woman stared at the group. "Oh, Templar," she said nervously. "Look, I just wash clothes for the people who pay for it, I don't know anything about no apostates or maleficarum or whatever!"

"That's not what I'm here about," Alistair said quickly. "Are you Goldanna?"

The woman nodded slowly. "I am, Sir Templar," she said quietly. "Please, I haven't done anything wrong."

"I know you haven't," Alistair said. "Look, my name is Alistair. I know this will sound strange, but I'm your brother."

Goldanna's jaw dropped. "What? Brother? I don't have a…" Her eyes slowly narrowed. "Unless… You're the one from Redcliffe, the one that the king forced on Mother."

Alistair flinched slightly. "Yes, I guess. I…"

"They told me you were dead," Goldanna said, rage building in her voice, "but I knew they was lying."

"Who? Who told you I was dead?" Alistair asked.

"Them's at the castle!" Goldanna snarled. "They gave me some coin to shut me up and sent me away!"

"I'm sorry," Alistair whispered. "I…" But Goldanna did not appear to be in the mood to listen.

"Fat lot of good your sorrow does me!" she shouted. "You killed Mother, you did! I've had to struggle all this time because of you!" Alistair opened his mouth to try and calm her, but she seemed to be on a roll. "I don't know you, _boy_, nor do I care to! Take your high-and-mighty _sorrow_ and leave me alone!" With that, she slammed the door in Alistair's face.

He blinked at the door, his mouth open. Wynne and Zelda simply looked at each other; that could have gone a _lot_ better.

"She… Did I…" Alistair whispered, unable to take his eyes off the door.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Alistair," Zelda said quietly, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. "This just… wasn't meant to be."

"I thought she'd accept me…" Alistair whispered, still looking shocked. Finally, he shook his head. "Morrigan's right, I'm an idiot."

"Don't say that, Alistair," Wynne said. "I though she would be more accepting than that. That doesn't make us idiots, it just means we were mistaken." She patted Alistair on the shoulder.

"I, I've been hoping to meet my sister ever since I heard of her," Alistair said. "And now that I have, I find myself wishing I hadn't." He hung his head. "Now what do I do? No Grey Wardens, no sister. Now what?"

"Move on," Zelda said quietly. "You're not alone, Alistair. You still have the rest of the team, I'm not counting Morrigan, as far as I'm concerned, she's just going in the same direction at the same speed. As for Wardens, there's still William, and there are Wardens outside of Ferelden."

Alistair blinked, looking at her. "I guess so," he said. The trio lapsed into silence as they sat down on a bench outside the Chantry, waiting for William and Leliana.

He arrived alone at the appointed time.

"Where are Leliana and Thunder?" Wynne asked. "Are they hurt?"

"No," he said, sitting down. "Leliana went back to camp, and I sent Thunder with her." He shook his head. "I don't get it. The mission went perfectly, Marjolaine won't be causing any more problems, and none of us got hurt. Next thing I know, Leliana's sobbing over her body. I thought they hated each other."

"From what I heard, William, they were friends for a long time," Wynne said. "It's only natural that she would be conflicted as to how she felt about this Marjolaine's death." She studied William. "You should go talk to her once we get back, I think she needs it."

William nodded slowly, still looking confused. "Well, that's that. Do you all know where Brother Genitivi is?"

"Yes," Alistair, holding up the piece of parchment he had scribbled the address on. "It's not far from the Wonders of Thedas, just on the other side of the market."

"Well, let's go." William said, rising to his feet. "The sooner we get out of the city, the sooner we can stop worrying that Loghain's men might recognize us." The others nodded, and the group carefully made their way through the market to the address that Alistair had found.

'Let's hope this goes better than the last door,' Zelda thought as William knocked on the door. After a moment, a nervous-looking man opened the door a crack.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked.

"Brother Genitivi?" William asked. The man paused.

"No, I'm Weylon, his assistant. What business do you have with Genitivi?"

"I'm afraid that this is something that shouldn't be discussed on the street," William said. Weylon bristled.

"Who are you to be making demands like that?" he asked shortly.

"I am William Surana of the Grey Wardens," William said after checking to make sure that there was no one else around.

Weylon stared at him for a long moment before opened the door fully, gesturing them in.

As the group sat down around a table in the middle of what looked like a living room, Zelda couldn't help but feel uneasy. She couldn't tell what, but there was something wrong in this house, she could sense it.

"What would the Grey Wardens want with Brother Genitivi's research?" Weylon asked. William cocked his head.

"Whoever said that we were here for his research?" he asked. Weylon blinked.

"Is there another reason you would have come?" he shot back. William shrugged.

"I can't think of any off the top of my head, but there probably are several. But you're correct, we wish to know about Brother Genitivi's search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes." Weylon flinched.

"You and half of Ferelden, it seems," he sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything."

"Where is Brother Genitivi?" William asked.

"I don't know," Weylon sighed, sinking into a chair and putting his face in his hands. "I haven't heard from him in weeks."

"Do you think that the search for the Urn has led him into danger?" William asked. Weylon nodded.

"I fear so. Perhaps the Urn was lost for a reason." Weylon's voice had a note of panic in it. "I tried to send help, but the knights from Redcliffe that I pointed in his direction have disappeared as well."

"I thought you didn't know where Brother Genitivi was?" William asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well, I- I don't, but I told them where he said he was going." Zelda's eyes narrowed, Weylon was hiding something.

"And where was that?" William asked quietly. He still sounded suspicious.

"No, don't ask me that!" Weylon said quickly. "What if something should befall you too?"

Zelda's suspicions deepened, Weylon was trying to change the subject. William seemed to agree with her. "We'll risk that," he said, his eyes boring into the sweating man.

"All right. All I could find in his notes was that he was checking something out near Lake Calenhad. Perhaps if you went there, you could learn more."

"But you said that Brother Genitivi told you where he was going," Zelda cut in, and William nodded.

"Yes, yes he did, but I also looked through his notes for any other clues." Weylon said, stumbling slightly over his own words.

"You're lying," William said coldly, leaning forward towards the man. "Why don't you tell us what's actually going on." Zelda took her cue and smoothly rose to her feet, walking around so that she was standing behind Weylon.

"Hey, hey stop that!" he wailed, trying to look at both of them at once. "Look, I've told you everything I know! Brother Genitivi told us… _me_, about the inn and that's all I can say!" Zelda replaced her helmet, being sure to let the metal clang loud enough for Weylon to hear her. He jumped slightly.

"Who's us?" William asked, carefully drawing his enchanted sword and placing it on the table in front of him. Weylon tensed, then sighed in resignation.

"Very well, I see that there is nothing more that I can do. Blessed Andraste, forgive me for not living up to your expectations." He raised his hand, lightning jumping from his fingers towards William.

The Warden was faster, a shield forming between them and the mage. Zelda, meanwhile, gripped Weylon's shoulders with both hands and pumped Templar energy through his body. He fell from his chair, thrashing in pain.

"You know, it would have been much easier for you if you had just told us what we needed to know," William said coolly, walking around to crouch beside Weylon's head. "Now, I ask again. Where is Brother Genitivi? Make sure your answer is smarter this time."

"Andraste… will see you… punished… for this transgression!" Weylon hissed, before jerking his head. A moment later, he started choking.

"Wynne!" William hissed, starting his own healing. Wynne joined for a moment, but stopped.

"It's too late, William," she said quietly. "He's already dead. Whatever the poison was, it was incredibly fast acting."

William cursed in Elvish. "What is going on here?" he hissed, glaring at the body.

"We should check to see if any of Brother Genitivi's research survived," Zelda said, glancing at the door to the back parts of the house. William nodded, before rifling through Weylon's pockets to find the key.

"What happened here?" Alistair asked as the quartet entered the back room, which had books strewn over the floor, marks along the walls, and a horrible stench hanging in the air.

"There must have been a fight," William said quietly, looking carefully around the room. He crouched down next to a tarp and lifted a corner, grimacing. "I think the 'Weylon' in there was an imposter," he said.

Zelda, meanwhile, had opened the drawers of the desk. There were notes and journals in there, but it seemed to have been disturbed as well. "If he was, then it's likely he would have removed anything that would have allowed us to follow Brother Genitivi's path."

William nodded slowly, looking around. "They would, wouldn't they?" He walked over to the desk and lay his hand on one corner, which was stained with blood. "The real Weylon died here, at the desk," he said after a moment. "His body was then dragged over there, and covered up." William's eyes flicked to the map hanging over the desk. Zelda looked as well, noticing the needles that seemed to have been stuck into it at one point.

"This was probably where he marked his progress," Zelda said quietly. "The imposter must have removed the pins."

William nodded absently, still tracing the blood. "Why would Weylon have died here?" he mused. "Unless he was trying to hide something." Suddenly, William turned and looked back at the door leading into the study.

"The door was damaged!" he hissed, pointing to it. "Weylon must have realized that the imposter was coming and locked himself in here." He turned back to the desk. "He might have suspected what they were after, and sought to hide it from them."

"But where?" Alistair asked, looking up from one of the shelves. "Where would Weylon have time to hide the important bits of research?"

Zelda looked carefully around the room before noticing a painting that was tilted on its hanging. On a whim, she moved and lifted it off the wall, exposing a cubbyhole with a single journal in it. On the cover read the words _The Urn of Sacred Ashes_.

"I found it!" she hissed, delicately removing the journal from the cubbyhole and opening it to the last page.

_I write this in haste, the Urn is finally within my sights. After studying the ancient Andrastian graves, I have determined where the ashes were taken after Our Lady was slain in Tevinter. In the southern reaches of the Frostback Mountains lies a village called Haven. If my suspicions are correct, the Urn of Sacred ashes will be nearby. _

Below was a quick doodle of a map that would guide them.

"We have what we came for," William said quietly, studying the map over Zelda's shoulder. "We should hurry. There's a chance that we can save Arl Eamon's life."

Within the hour, the group had left Denerim and was heading back to camp. They still had a few hours of daylight to get started on their long journey.

* * *

><p>Loghain sighed as he looked over his map of Ferelden. Scattered across the worn parchment were several sets worth of chess pieces with various colored strings draped over them. His white pieces were still about even with the black pieces of his various enemies, but he still worried that the longer this mess took to resolve, the more his opponents would multiply.<p>

Both Sir Cauthrian and Teyrn Howe were away with portions of his army; marked by a pair of queens. His own army was in Denerim, resupplying before heading back out into the field. The various Banns that were rebelling against him were beginning to band together, he could no longer overwhelm them one at a time.

A knock came at the door, and he gestured the soldier to enter.

"My Lord," the man said, bowing. "There is a messenger from the Circle of Magi that wishes to speak with you."

"Send him in!" Loghain said quickly, a tight smile on his face. It seemed Uldred had finally got his act together. Loghain had heard some disturbing rumors about the Tower, but those seemed to be exaggerated. As the soldier left, Loghain reached over and righted the white rook wrapped with a red string over Kinloch Hold. 'I'll have to send a few more mages to help Howe; he said he lost some in his last battle. Maybe a few should go to Cauthrian too, just in case.'

He continued to mull over what to do with his reinforcements until he heard footsteps coming up the corridor towards his war room. He straightened, walking around the map to stand in the center of the room, and nodded to the mage as he entered, followed by a pair of Templar.

"Regent Loghain," the mage said, bowing. "I am Senior Enchanter Arthur, and I have come bearing a message from the Circle of Magi, if you would allow me to speak?"

"By all means," Loghain said.

"I am wondering, your Grace, if you have heard of what has befallen the Circle of Magi?" Senior Enchanter Arthur said, the forced smile falling from his face.

"I cannot say I have," Loghain said warily, watching the mage. Had Uldred run into more trouble than Loghain thought? "I have had some problems of my own to deal with in recent weeks."

"Clearly," Senior Enchanter Arthur said, glancing at the map behind Loghain. "I will be blunt, there was a major rebellion at the tower, one which almost ended in the complete destruction of the Circle."

"What?" Loghain asked, thinking he hadn't heard right. Uldred had just been supposed to convince the Circle to support Loghain's cause. He had never said anything about a rebellion.

"A rebellion, your Grace," Senior Enchanter Arthur said coolly, keeping his eyes on Loghain's face. "Blood mages, led by one Senior Enchanter Uldred, attempted to overthrow the Circle. Thanks to timely intervention from… a third party, the Circle was saved." The man took a deep breath. "However, we took heavy casualties, and need to replenish our numbers."

Loghain interrupted. "I'm sorry, but what _third party_ had the power to do what you could not?" Senior Enchanter Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"That is between them and the Circle, Regent Loghain," he said coolly. "Would you hear the rest of my message?" Loghain gestured him to continue, his mind racing. Had it been the Wardens? He knew they had been in the area, at Redcliffe. Had they heard of what Uldred was trying to do and sought to interfere?

"As I was saying, we need to replenish our numbers; there are not enough Enchanters and mages to continue running the Circle. We need mages from outside Ferelden. We sent a message to the White Spire, requesting reinforcements, but our messenger was turned back at the border, on your orders." Loghain bristled.

"Why do you need Orlesians? Aren't there several Circles in the Free Marches? Starkhaven? Kirkwall?"

"Unfortunately, we have lost contact with the Starkhaven Circle," Senior Enchanter Arthur said. "And Kirkwall… we would rather avoid involving them, that would almost guarantee that the situation would become worse. And the other Circles in the Free Marches are either too small or too far away for what we need. That leaves the Orlesian Circles."

Loghain shook his head. "Absolutely not. No Orlesian will set foot in Ferelden until the uprising is over. I'm afraid you will just have to make do with those members you have left." Senior Enchanter Arthur's face hardened.

"I urge you to reconsider, Regent," he said coldly. "The Circle has received some evidence that you might have had a hand in Uldred's uprising. Allowing us to replenish our numbers will go a long way to convincing us that this was simply a misunderstanding."

"I cannot afford the risk of Orlesian infiltrators slipping into this nation and wreaking havoc on an already delicate situation. By your own admission, you simply would rather avoid Kirkwall, there is nothing stopping you from getting their assistance." Loghain's eyes narrowed. "And this _evidence_ of yours, did it happen to come from the same _third party_ that helped you?" Damn those Wardens…

"No, it came from one of our own, a survivor of Ostagar," Senior Enchanter Arthur said. "Are you certain that will not reconsider?"

"No Orlesian will be allowed to sow the seeds of their return while I am Regent," Loghain declared. Senior Enchanter Arthur sighed.

"Very well, I was hoping to avoid this." He drew an official roll of parchment, hung with several seals, from his robes and unrolled it. "This is an Order of Recall. Do you know what that is?" Loghain nodded warily. "Good. If this goes into effect, all members of the Ferelden Circle of Magi who are working for the following groups…" he listed all of Loghain's allies. "… will be recalled to Kinloch to aid us in this dire hour."

"Why not recall all the mages currently on leave?" Loghain asked, a cold fear gripping his heart. Without mages, his forces might begin to lose ground, especially against Dragon's Peak, he had been counting on his mages to aid in breaking through the defenses.

"Because these are the only ones First Enchanter Irving, in his infinite wisdom, deemed necessary," Senior Enchanter Arthur said, a slightly smug smile tugging at his face. "Of course, they wouldn't need to go anywhere if we could get more mages from elsewhere, say… Orlais."

Loghain glowered at the smirking mage. He was trapped; on the one hand, he couldn't let Orlesians into Ferelden, not at this delicate hour. However, he simply could not afford to lose his mage support either. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

"Well, Regent? What will it be?" Senior Enchanter Arthur asked after a moment.

"So long as my border guards have a hand in ensuring that only mages enter the country, and escort them to Kinloch, I will allow them entry," Loghain said finally. The mage smiled slightly.

"A wise choice, Teyrn Loghain, and your terms are acceptable, so long as your soldiers are informed that we will not tolerate any abuse of the power they are being granted. Well, that is all I had to discuss, I'm sure you have important business to deal with. By your leave?" Loghain nodded jerkily, and Senior Enchanter Arthur bowed and exited the war room, placing the parchment on the table as he left.

Loghain stood perfectly still in the center of the room, breathing deeply. He couldn't afford his men to hear him raging, it would hurt moral. Finally, when he was relatively certain that he would not start shouting, he turned to his map. Indulging in a moment of anger, he swatted the rook that had denoted his alliance with the Circle across the room before slamming a black rook into its place.

He stared at the map. The cool strategist inside reminded him that he still had time before the Orlesians arrived, he could still make this work. But he would need allies, and fast. His eyes raked the map, and he reached over to right a pair of white pawns and a knight near Denerim; he would need to call up his reserves.

'But that's not enough, I'll need more…' he thought grimly, looking desperately over the map.

His eyes fell onto a king in the top left corner on the map, over the Frostback Mountains. The Dwarven city of Orzammar had remained neutral in this mess, as they usually did. However, if he could get them on his side, then he would have all the reinforcements he would need to both defeat the rebellion and turn back the Darkspawn. He quickly ran through the list of people he had on hand to negotiate with the dwarves, finally settling on Imrek. The man wasn't the brightest of his agents, but he was persistent, with would serve him well when dealing with the slow dwarven system. So long as he followed Loghain's instructions, he should avoid causing an incident.

Still, that would take time, and he needed more immediate sources of support. He had several other groups of reserves that he could call on, as well as mercenaries. The only problem was that he wouldn't be able to pay them. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the desk in the corner, and the slightly crumpled letter. He had dismissed the offer the second he saw it, but Howe had insisted that he think on it before sending a refusal. Perhaps, perhaps he was being a bit too picky. What were a few elves, a few of _anyone_, when compared with an entire country?

His eyes returned to the map, noting the black rook in the center of the map. After a moment, he removed it and replaced it with a king; the Wardens were proving to be a greater threat than he had anticipated. If he knew where they were, he would be able to trap them and eliminate them, but so long as they were able to stick to the shadows, they would continue to be a thorn in his side.

Finally, he looked at the black queen, still sitting in the Kokari Wilds, along with several pawns scattered around Southern Ferelden. The darkspawn had spread a bit since Ostagar, but were still not the numberless hordes the Grey Wardens had warned of. Still, they remained on the surface. It almost seemed that they were waiting for something.

(Codex: Denerim)

_"Denerim, the capital of Ferelden, originally began as an outpost of the ancient Tevinter Imperium. Its mages rose up a dark tower from the side of a mountain, a symbol of the Imperium's power. As the Imperium faded, the tower passed to the hands of the teyrns that ruled the region for a millennium. Today that tower still stands as Fort Drakon, immediately recognizable to any ship that approaches the rocky coast. The city that has sprung up around it has almost been carved out of the side of the mountain it rests on, and during the Dragon Age, its population has grown beyond the city's ability to cope. The cramped districts, joined to each other by a network of bridges, are built one almost on top of the other. The narrow streets of the Lower Docks have an almost labyrinthine quality, and the walled-off elven Alienage is so overpopulated that several purges have been required to keep order in the last decade alone. "To the rest of the world, Denerim is most famous as the birthplace of Andraste. In typical Fereldan fashion, however, the monument erected to the prophet in the Palace District is unassuming - a great rock adorned with a simple message of peace. Worshipers come from far and wide to touch the Birth Rock and issue a quiet and respectful prayer. This is how things are done in Denerim, and the locals would have it no other way."_

From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

AN: Finally got around to making another chapter of this story. I've been trying to figure out a way to get it to stand out from the other 9000 Dragon Age stories. If anyone has an idea, I would be happy to hear it. As always, hope you enjoy, and please review.


	18. The Heart of the Matter

Reviewer Response:

george7: Thank you, I'm glad you're interested in the story.

King of Vaypouria: Wow, thanks. If I had to guess, I don't get more reviews because there are simply too many DA fics, and Cousland/Surana is not a common character matchup for people to search.

Chapter 17: The Heart of the Matter

Thunder trotted up to Will, barking before jerking his head to the sky. Will followed his mabari's gaze and was once again surprised by just how fast darkness fell at this time of year. If the group wanted any time to set up camp, they would have to stop almost immediately so that there was still light to work by.

"See any good places, boy?" he asked quietly. Thunder nodded, his tongue lolling out in a grin, before turning and leading the way up the road that he had been exploring.

"We're setting up camp soon," Will called. "Thunder says he's found a good place." He thought he saw discreet sighs of relief from some of his group as they slipped into the clearing that Thunder had found. Bodhan and Sandel brought out the tents from their cart, and while Morrigan found a secluded corner to set up in, everyone else worked together to pitch the other tents around a small fire.

Will glanced at Leliana out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't said a word since she had told him that she needed to leave the city. He remembered Wynne's advice to talk to her, and decided he'd do it when everything settled down a bit. Instead he focused on forcing the pegs of his tent in, glad for his magic.

"Warden." Will glanced over his shoulder to see Sten standing behind him.

"Yes, Sten?" he asked, getting up.

"The Blight, how will you end it?" Will blinked.

"Are we talking long term or short term here?" he asked.

"Are they not one and the same?" Sten asked. "The result is all that matters."

"Well," Will started, "eventually, we have to kill the archdemon. But we have to gather allies first, which is what we're doing."

"Surely, if these allies were going to fight, they would already be preparing," Sten said. "Why do we have to be the ones to gather them?"

"The rest of the Grey Wardens died at Ostagar, leaving us the only ones with the treaties," Will said. "As for why they're not ready when we come for them, I guess the world just decided to have everyone run into trouble at the same time. It's annoying, but nothing we can't handle."

"But if they were able to fight the darkspawn, they would be able to handle their own troubles," Sten said stubbornly.

"Perhaps," Will conceded. "However, they would use up their strength on their own problem and have nothing left to throw against the Blight. This way, they can save their resources to use against the horde." Sten studied him for a long moment.

"I don't understand, I thought you were a Grey Warden," he growled finally.

"…I am…" Will said. Sten's purple eyes bored into him.

"My people have heard stories of the Grey Wardens. These stories are of great warriors fighting darkspawn, not every other problem that plagues this place."

"What's your plan?" Will asked, starting to get frustrated.

"The archdemon is our goal, why are we running away from it?"

"How do you suggest that we get through the hoard, except with allies?" Will asked coolly.

"If we were seeking allies by your… unfathomable logic, should we not be going to the dwarves? Do you not have a treaty with them?"

"True," Will said. "However, we also have to deal with Loghain, and for that we need a member of the Ferelden nobility." He held up his hand to head Sten off. "I know it's stupid, and if Loghain had half a brain we wouldn't have to do it, but he doesn't and we do." Sten studied him with interest.

"You… are not quite as callow as I thought. Your methods may be unorthodox, but you seem to think you have a plan."

"Correction, I do have a plan," Will said. "And you thought I was callow?"

"Surely you have heard it before," Sten said. "You'll get used to it."

Will groaned. "Why did I let you out of that cage again?"

"I do not know. It is one of the many things I find puzzling about your behavior," Sten said without a hint of sarcasm. Will blinked several times.

"…I was joking," he said finally. "I let you out because you're a talented warrior, and no one deserves to be left to the Darkspawn."

"Thank you," Sten said after a long moment. He started to turn and leave.

"I've been meaning to ask," Will said. "Why are you here, in Ferelden?"

"I am here to answer a question," he said finally.

"What's the question," Will asked.

"The Arishok wondered 'What is the Blight?' By his curiosity, I am here." Will thought for a moment, before remembering that the Qunari arrived almost three hundreds years ago, a century after the Fourth Blight.

"And have you found your answer yet?" he asked.

"A portion of it."

"And you have to find the rest of it before you can go back?" Will asked. Sten shook his head.

"I cannot go home," he said. It might have been Will's imagination, but he thought he heard a touch of pain breaking through Sten's stoic voice.

"Why not?" he asked.

Sten spent a long moment staring at Will, his eyes like shadowy ice. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

"When I came to this place to answer the Arishok's question, I did not come alone." There was defiantly a note of distress in Sten's words, though he hid it well. "The four of us arrived in the north, and made our way towards your fortress of Ostagar, hearing that that is where the Blight was supposed to be." He paused for a moment. "We only made it as far as Lake Calenhad."

Will's eyes narrowed slightly. "Darkspawn?" he asked, unable to think of another force short of a full army able to face four Qunari.

"Yes," Sten said. "They attacked us, killed my companions. I was able to slay the last of them, but fell to the wounds I had taken. When I awoke, I was far away from my brothers."

"Near Lothering," Will said, and Sten nodded.

"A farmer, traveling, had found the sight of the battle. He brought me with him, tending my wounds." He stopped talking.

"What went wrong?" Will asked quietly. Sten took a deep breath.

"The first thing I asked about when I woke was where my sword was. The farmers could not answer me; they did not have it. I panicked; for without my sword, I would be known as soulless, a deserter. In my fear, I killed them all."

"What do you mean, soulless?"

"Every Qunari has a single tool that represents their task, and they must have it with them at all times. Without it, a Qunari is nothing. Even if I somehow managed to make it all the way back to Par Vollen without my weapon, I would be slain on sight."

"Did you try to find your sword?" Will asked.

"I could not, for I did not know where to look. As I said, the farmer had taken me far from the battlefield. I could not find my way back, so I went to Lothering instead."

The pair stood in silence for a few moments. "Well, we'll probably be passing near the place you were ambushed," Will said. "We can take a look around the area, see if there are any clues as to where your sword is."

"There is little hope of that, but thank you for offering," Sten said simply, wandering away. Will watched him go before shaking his head and looking around. The rest of the group seemed to have finished preparing camp. Wynne and Alistair were starting to cook dinner (After first tasting Alistair's cooking, Wynne had refused to let him work alone anymore.) Thunder had trotted over to Morrigan and was ignoring her attempts to shoo him away. Zelda was sitting near the fire, reading something.

Leliana, meanwhile, was sadly tracing the carvings along the beautiful bow she had brought from Marjolaine's house. She didn't look up as Will sat down across from her. After a moment of silence, Will spoke up.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked quietly. He already knew the answer, but couldn't think of a better way to start the conversation.

Leliana remained silent for a moment, and Will was beginning to think that she was ignoring him before she finally opened her mouth.

"I still don't understand why she did it," she whispered, staring hard at the bow as if it had all the answers. "How did she come to hate me so?"

"I don't know," Will said after a moment. "People do strange things, especially when they feel threatened. They act before they think, and then they often can't bring themselves to admit they were wrong afterwards." Leliana finally looked up from the bow. Her eyes were dry, if a little red.

"I guess…" she said. "I wonder… I wonder if I should have just stayed in the Chantry, at Lothering."

"What?" Will asked. "How would that have helped?"

"Maybe she would have not seen me as a threat, if I had stayed," Leliana said, bowing her head again. "Maybe I wouldn't have had to… to kill her…"

"She would have come for you eventually," Will said. "She would have mistaken some innocent incident for a plan and attacked. There wouldn't have been much to stop her, just some Templar. Besides, without your help, we would have had a lot more trouble. Not only would we have lost an archer, I wouldn't have been able to convince Mother Quorra to release Sten without your help. I would still be stuck listening to Alistair and Morrigan bicker for lack of a better thing to do with their time."

Leliana chuckled weakly. "I suppose you have a point."

Another silent moment passed. "There's something else bothering you," Will said quietly. Leliana sighed.

"I'm just thinking about what she said. About how I was just like her."

"She was lying," Will said simply. "She was trying to mess with you, weaken your resolve."

"But I… I enjoyed it," Leliana said quietly, going back to studying the bow. "When I killed her, I welcomed it, I embraced it. What does that say about me?"

"That you're human?" Will offered. "I stand by what I said to her, that the two of you are nothing alike."

"How can you be so sure?" Leliana asked. Will smiled slightly.

"Leliana, if it had gone the other way, and Marjolaine had killed you, do you think she would have spent a second regretting it and wondering whether there was another way?"

"Does that make what I did right?" Leliana said, her eyes flashing.

"Only you can answer that, but it does make you a better person than she was. Evil doesn't worry about not being good." Will grinned. "That makes her wrong about you right there."

Leliana stared at Will, blinking several times.

"You're a good person, Leliana, so long as you decide to be," Will said. "Marjolaine chose what she became, so can you."

"I…" Leliana said. "Thank you, William. I'll… think on what you said."

"That's good to here," Will said, rising to his feet. "And Leliana… It's Will." He didn't know what possessed him to say those last words. He only ever allowed close friends to call him by that name.

Still, he felt more at ease around Leliana than he had in a long time. Somehow, despite neither of her previous occupations being callings he was particularly fond of, he couldn't help but like and respect her. She had survived pains that would have broken a lesser woman, and seemed to be stronger and kinder for it. Surely that was close enough.

If Leliana recognized the importance of what Will had just told her, she gave no obvious sign. She simply smiled and put the bow away before getting up herself, heading over to try and help Wynne keep Alistair from ruining the food.

Will shrugged before walking to an empty portion of the clearing, drawing Spellweaver as he did. He still hoped to one day achieve true proficiency with the blade, though he couldn't help but think that it would be a long time before that happened. Until then, he would continue to train.

He spend a while practicing by himself, eventually sparring with Sten. It ended in a tie, though only because of Will's magically enhanced speed and strength. After dinner was finally ready, they broke off.

As Will ate, he was surprised when Zelda decided to approach him.

"William," she said, her voice formal.

"Yes?" he responded. Zelda took a deep breath before continuing.

"You say that you're seeking allies among the Ferelden nobility to deal with Loghain," she said. Will nodded, wondering what she was getting at. She paused for a moment, seeming to martial herself. "Do you remember when the Sloth demon trapped us in the Fade?"

"Hard to forget," Will said.

"Then you remember that… that I'm the daughter of Teyrn Cousland of Highever." She looked… almost nervous as she said this.

"Are you suggesting that we talk to him?" Will asked. In truth, he hadn't remembered the details of Zelda's dream, or the potential implications of her heritage.

"I am," Zelda said. "My… Teyrn Cousland is a good man, a fair man. So long as you come in peace, he'll hear you out. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has suspicions of Loghain's sudden rise to power."

Will nodded slowly. Highever was not far out of their way, and if they could get another noble on their side, especially a Teyrn, it would be a great boon.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked after a moment.

"I… parted with my family on… awkward terms." Zelda said, looking at her feet. "It's not important."

"Are you…" Will started, but Zelda simply glared at him until he shut his mouth; there was no point in antagonizing her. "If you're sure," he said after a moment "then we'll stop by, see if he can offer any help. Thank you for suggesting it."

"You're welcome, William," Zelda said, nodding. Somehow, Will couldn't tell if she was happy or sad that she was going to be able to see her family again, and wondered why that was. If he had a chance to safely see his family again, he would take it without hesitation. He soon forced these thoughts out of his head; it was her right to keep her secrets. Dirthamen* knew he had a fair number of his own.

* * *

><p>Zelda sighed as she looked down at the city of Highever, and at the castle beyond it. A large part of her was regretting ever mentioning the idea of coming here to William. She shook her head; this was bigger than her damn pride. The idea of finding the Urn of Sacred Ashes was all well and good, but they needed a guaranteed ally against Loghain.<p>

A small voice in the back of her head reminded her that she didn't have to come herself, William could probably handle it on his own. That thought was soon discarded; the best way to ensure that her father listened was to come herself.

There was no avoiding it; she was going to have to face her mother again.

"Well, let's go," William said after a moment, adjusting his mage robes. Though Highever was far from the most racist city in Ferelden, an armored elf would still draw unwanted attention. He was watching her, and Zelda felt her face heat up slightly. She was a Templar, damnit! She could look demons in the eye and stand firm; she could deal with her family. She wasn't fourteen anymore!

Once again, the more wild members of the party had elected to stay outside the city. Zelda was glad for this; she didn't want to have to deal with the witch's sharp tongue at the moment.

The first sign that something was wrong came when Zelda took a moment to look up at the banner hanging over the gate. 'What is the Amaranthine coat of arms doing here?' she thought, cocking her head as she stared at it.

Fortunately, the guards flanking the entrance didn't seem in the mood to inquire as to their business. Instead, they were two busy questioning a group of people who were leaving the city. A quick glance at their small shields confirmed that they also were Amaranthine soldiers.

"Why are the guards questioning the people leaving?" William asked quietly. Zelda wondered that too, especially as the party entered the square.

"There's something wrong here," Wynne said quietly as they passed through the market on their way to the castle. "There's… fear in the air."

Zelda nodded warily, looking around. There were more Amaranthine soldiers standing around, all looking very alert. And Wynne was right; the people looked nervous, especially when they were near the soldiers. Suddenly, a woman's scream split the air. Everyone glanced up, but quickly lowered their heads as the soldiers shifted.

"That way!" William said quickly, nodding towards an alleyway on the other side of the market.

"Halt!" one of the guards said as the group arrived.

"Aren't you going to help?" William asked coolly as another scream sounded.

"None of your business, knife ears," the guard said, laying a hand on his sword. "Now, unless you want your miserable existence ended, move along."

"You would threaten someone under the protection of a Templar?" Zelda asked coldly.

"You have no authority here Templar," the man snarled. "Go back to your Chantry and leave the real soldiers alone."

A third scream galvanized the party. "Go help her, or get out of our way," William said furiously.

"Go…" the guard started, but William interrupted him by knocking him over with a blast of telekinesis before rushing on, followed by the others. After a few turns, they found the source of the screams. A group of soldiers had an older woman on the ground and were laughing as they kicked her.

"What is going on here?" Zelda asked in a deadly voice, drawing her sword. The soldiers looked up, and she could see one of them smirk.

"Looks like we have some heroes here," he snickered. The other men, about a dozen of them, joined in the laughter.

"Please… help me…" the woman groaned, looking up. Some part of Zelda's mind thought she recognized the woman, but she decided to focus on the situation at hand first.

"Shut up, you old hag!" the lead soldier shouted, raising his foot to stomp on her. William was faster, encasing her in a Force Field.

"You will regret that," Zelda snarled, her rage building.

"We outnumber you, in case you haven't noticed, Templar." Zelda heard the sound of armored footsteps behind them, indicating that at least a few of the soldiers from the market had arrived.

"Yes," William said coolly, pulling his sword from the disguised sheath. "We, however, are mages. That gives us the advantage."

"Let's see how far that takes you," the soldier said, pointing his mace at the party. He was shot down a moment later by Leliana, who had drawn her bow during the conversation. Another seven were blasted by William's first fireball. Zelda and Thunder stepped forward to engage the rest of them while the others turned to fight off the rest of the guards.

One of the men was tackled by the furious war dog, while Zelda hit another with a Holy Smite. He wasn't a mage, so it didn't do any real damage, but it did disorient him while Zelda fought his friends.

The first, wearing substandard armor and carrying a pair of jagged daggers, lunged at Zelda and was smashed aside by her shield. The other was carrying the more standard shield and sword, though his armor was only a little better than the first. His seeming lack of any real training, however, made him easy prey for Zelda. His sword skittered off her shield, and she snaked her blade over his and opened his shoulder before gutting him.

She risked a quick glance back to see how the others were doing. Alistair and William were scattering the enemy while Wynne and Leliana picked off any that attempted to flank the warriors.

Thunder had finished off his opponent and was chewing on the neck of a second. Meanwhile, the man Zelda had smashed aside was slowly rising to his feet, trying to find the daggers he had dropped. Zelda coolly brought her shield around in a quick blow to the side of his head, leaving him stunned.

"Keep him down, but don't kill him," she snapped to Thunder before turning to help the others. Soon, the surviving guards were in full retreat.

"Let's grab these two and get out of here," William said quickly, crouching down next to the woman and running a healing hand over her. Her Force Field had dissipated near the end of the fight, but no enemy had had a chance to threaten her.

Alistair grabbed the downed soldier and dragged him to his feet, while Zelda moved to help William with the civilian. Together, they carried her to another alley that looked like it hadn't been used in a while.

Finally, Zelda had a chance to get a good look at the woman's face, and was shocked to realize that she did know her. "Nan? Is that you?" she said, taking off her helmet.

"Yes," Nan said, blinking at Zelda. "How do you…" Her eyes widened. "Zelda? Little Lady Zelda?"

"It's me, Nan," Zelda whispered. Nan burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Zelda's neck in a sudden, desperate hug.

"I never thought I'd see you again!" she sobbed, pulling back to look at Zelda. "Look at you! You look so… so grown up…"

"You two know each other?" William asked, crouching down next to the pair.

"Nan was my nanny when I was growing up," Zelda said quietly. "Nan," she continued, gently laying a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "What has happened here? Why were those Amaranthine soldiers attacking you, and why do they seem to control the city?"

"They do control the city, and the castle too," Nan said, still crying. "You're parents are dead; murdered by Howe and his ilk."

These words hit Zelda like a punch to the face.

"D…Dead?" she whispered. "That's… That can't be…"

"It is. Oh, Zelda, they killed everyone," Nan said. "Just after your brother left with the army, heading for Ostagar to aid the king. That bastard Howe claimed his troops had been delayed, and your father wanted to ride with him. But they were waiting for the castle to be defenseless." She broke down for a moment, but marshaled herself and continued. "They came at night, the cowards. They killed so many people…"

"How did you escape?" Zelda asked, stunned.

"I was in the kitchen, out of the way of the fighting," Nan said.

"So they wanted to kill you to keep you from telling anyone else?" William asked quietly, and Nan nodded.

"Yes, but there's something they don't know, or at least I don't think they do." Nan reached into a deep pocket of the apron she was wearing and pulled out a key. "Before I fled, I met His Grace, Teyrn Cousland. He gave this to me and told me to keep it safe."

"What is it?" Zelda asked.

"It's the key to the main vault," Nan said. "Your father locked it up as soon as he realized that Howe had betrayed him. He was going to try and find your mother, Zelda. He didn't want the contents of the vault, especially the family weapons, to fall into the traitor's hands, so he told me to keep this from them." She sniffled. "That was the last I saw of him."

"How did Howe get away with this?" Zelda snarled, her shock giving way to rage.

"Apparently, he claimed that _bandits_ attacked the castle, and his forces killed them," Nan said. "The real reason he hasn't been punished, according to rumor, is because he and Regent Loghain have forged some kind of alliance. He was named Teyrn of Highever, even though he had no claim, by marriage or by blood."

A tense silence filled the room. "Have you got anything to add?" William asked the captured soldier.

"No!" the man squeaked. "I wasn't even there, I was hired later! I heard about it, though."

"So there's no reason to keep you around," William said, twirling his sword as he advanced on the man.

"We don't have to kill him," Leliana said.

"That's right!" the man wailed. "I'm just a hired blade! I'll leave and never return!"

"Or will you just run to the nearest Howe soldier and tell them that there's another Cousland in the city?" Zelda asked coolly. "Surely that would _pay_ more."

"I can't spend money if I'm dead, right?" the man said. "I just want my life!"

"What I was about to suggest," Leliana said loudly. "Was that we tie him up around here. By the time he's found, we'll be long gone."

Zelda was quite tempted to simply kill the man, but eventually agreed to the former Sister's idea. Soon, the man was hidden, bound hand and food, behind some crates.

"He's in the Maker's hands now," Leliana said quietly as they left.

"So, what now?" Wynne asked. Nan had given Zelda the key, and she was staring at it.

"Nan, do you know if the secret entrance is still open," she asked.

"It… is…" Nan said slowly, watching Zelda warily. "My Lady, surely you aren't considering…"

"They'll break through the vault door eventually," Zelda said. "The only way to ensure that the important things that father didn't want Howe to get remain out of his hands is to break in there and get them ourselves."

"You can't!" Nan said. "There's too many of them! Howe's hired sellswords, bandits, the kind of people your father sought to force out of Highever. If they get their hands on you…"

"They won't," William said, his voice filled with grim pleasure. "Not while I'm around."

"You don't have to…" Zelda started, but William cut her off.

"I've always disliked traitors," he said. "Besides, if what Nan says is true, and Howe is allied with Loghain, then a strike against him here could hurt Loghain."

"That sounds good," Alistair said after a moment. Nan sighed.

"If you are determined, then all I can do is pray for you," she said sadly. "I'm too old to help."

"And I didn't expect you too, Nan," Zelda said. "Just stay safe, we'll protect you."

"Well, before we go anywhere, we should have a plan, rather than just rush in," Leliana said.

"True," William said. A minute passed in silence as the group considered their options.

"Well, we could cause a distraction. That would draw the guards away from the lower levels so that those who go in will have a better chance." William said finally.

"I'd be the best for that job," Leliana said. "I'm fast and can use stealth to get out of any problem I find. A few well-placed arrows can cause a lot of chaos."

"That would leave the rest of us to break through whatever's left of the guards in the lower levels," William said quietly.

"And how will you get out of the city?" Nan asked. "Howe's men are doing their best to prevent anyone from leaving, and the survivors of your battle to save me will be sure to report what you all look like."

"There's another passage out of the castle," Zelda said. "Only the Cousland family knows about it, and it leads outside the walls of the city. We have to hurry, before they start to organize,"

"I'll head for the castle. Should I wait for anything?" Leliana asked.

"No," Zelda said. "We'll reach to passage before you get to the gate. Keep them busy for a few minutes, and then get out of the city. We'll meet you back at camp."

The passage into the castle was hidden in a small warehouse, which was fortunately unguarded by Howe's men. Nan carefully opened the disguised trap door, and Zelda took the lead.

"Why do these castles always have secret ways in?" William asked after a minute. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of walls?"

"Well, they're easy to block off," Wynne said quietly. "And they're put in to allow people out." She shrugged. "But I see what you mean, it does seem dangerous."

Zelda ignored the byplay, focusing on listening for any hint that they were walking into a trap. Finally, the group reached the exit, and Zelda carefully pressed her ear to the door.

"… got to go now!" a man was shouting. "The gate's under attack from at least a dozen archers, they need all the help they can get!" Zelda smiled grimly, it seemed that Leliana was as good as her word when it came to distractions. The clatter of armor faded into the distance, and Zelda pushed the false wall out of the way and opened the door.

The storeroom was empty, though there were the remains of a meal on the rough table in the center of the room. It seemed Leliana had caught them even more off guard than they thought.

'How does it feel to be on the receiving end of a surprise attack?' Zelda thought viciously as the group slipped out of the room.

They didn't meet anyone at first, though they did hear a group rushing towards the gates. Finally, they found a pair of soldiers exiting one of the barracks, trying to strap their armor on. Both were cut down before they could think to raise an alarm.

"This way!" Zelda hissed, stepping over their bodies and darting down another corridor. Distant memories of her time in this place drifted back. Running after her brother when she was eight and he had stolen her bracelet. Sneaking down to the kitchens in the early morning. Sitting in the chapel, listening to Mother Mallol.

It was at this point that it really hit her. Those people were all dead. Everyone she had know here, other than Nan, was gone. Mother Mallol, Aldous the librarian, Fergus, Father, Mother.

She had never had a chance to say goodbye to any of them. And it had been over something so _stupid_!

* * *

><p><em> Nine years ago.<em>

_The quiet of the Highever Castle training grounds was once more shattered in the late afternoon by a vicious argument, which was taking place in the nearby armory._

_ "Completely irresponsible!" Teyrna Eleanor Cousland was shouting, glaring at her fourteen-year-old daughter. "I've told you a million times, you are not to sneak out here ever other day and mess around with these things."_

_ "Why not?" Zelda shouted back, her face red. Her mother had found her in the process of removing the armor she had been practicing with; she had already hung up the sword and shield. "I don't understand why I'm not allowed to!"_

_ "Because it is not befitting of a lady of your station!" Eleanor Cousland said fiercely. "I thought you would grow out of it, so I turned a blind eye when you were younger. It seems I should have been more firm." _

_ "You were a battle maiden!" Zelda cried. "Why can't I be one too?"_

_ "That was different!" her mother retorted. "The times were different. Then, it was necessary for everyone to learn how to fight. This is a time of peace!"_

_ "So that means I'm no longer fit to fight?" Zelda challenged. "What, was the Revolution just desperate when they let you in?" Eleanor Cousland recoiled as if her daughter had slapped her._

_ "Don't you _dare_ speak to your mother like that!" she said furiously. _

_ "Then stop being a hypocrite!" Zelda shouted._

_ She could instantly tell she had gone too far. Her mother's red face paled, before her eyes narrowed to slits. Zelda knew she was going to be in more trouble now, but she was too angry to care._

"_Young lady, you are going to go to your chambers and stay there until I tell you that you can come out." Eleanor Cousland said in a deadly voice that left no room for disagreement. Zelda nodded sullenly, roughly removed the rest of her armor, and stalked through the castle to her room. Knowing her mother, she'd show up sometime tonight, and they'd try to have a civil conversation that would quickly descend into another argument._

_ And that was the whole problem! Zelda thought furiously as she paced, kicking a bedpost as she passed. She and her mother were simply unable to agree on one fundamental fact._

_ Zelda had grown up on stories of knights and chivalry. Aldous had grudgingly pulled down the same book dozens of times when Zelda had come begging to hear more. Mother Mallol was quite fond of telling sermons from Andraste's first Exalted March, stories of heroes overcoming impossible odds and winning righteous victories. As he grew older, her brother Fergus had told his little sister about his training in swordplay. She had dreamed of being like these great warriors._

_ But, at the age of ten, her mother had decided that it was time for Zelda to become a "respectable noblewoman," She had tried to get her daughter interested in other pastimes, court etiquette, the like._

_ But the fierce little warrior in Zelda refused to be curbed, and instead a four-year war had started. Zelda constantly sought to convince her mother to accept her daughter's wish be herself, or at least that it was too much trouble to changer her. Eleanor Cousland, meanwhile, tried to show her the error in her ways and accept her position, if only as a matter of family loyalty._

_ Zelda growled as she slammed a fist against the wall, her anger still bubbling. The conflict was becoming steadily more bitter as the years went on. At first, it had simply been a disagreement on the path Zelda's life would take, and it had been easier to reconcile after an argument. Now? Now it was becoming personal, with both sides refusing to back down as a matter of pride. Vicious arguments like the one she had just had, previously a rare thing, were becoming longer and more common. _

_ Zelda spun and flopped down on her bed, the angry energy that had driven her fading for the moment. She didn't want to fight with her mother! Why couldn't she just understand that Zelda wasn't interested in being a "proper noblewoman?" If she just let Zelda have some control over her own life, rather than regulate her every minute, Zelda would be happy to make some concessions. She'd agree to sit through those ridiculous meetings, where she was forced to get dressed up like a doll and shown off to all the noble boys, so long as she had something she enjoyed to look forward to afterwards. So what if it intimidated the young noblemen that she could hold her own in a swordfight? If they were that easily scared, they weren't worth the trouble._

_ And Zelda was good with a sword, especially considering that she was mostly self-taught. If she had any proper training, she could probably be brilliant. Why was that so wrong?_

_ The anger came back and Zelda started pacing again. Her mother was going to be the death of her, in spirit if not in flesh! She was never going to stop trying to force Zelda to follow her pre-determined path of being married off to some noble _brat_ she couldn't stand and being stuck in _his_ castle for the rest of her life._

_ 'I've got to get out of here."_

_ The thought stunned her. She had never even considered the possibility of simply walking out. Where would she go? What would she do?_

_ However, the more she considered it, the more she realized that, if she wanted to have any control over her future, she had to get away from here. But that still left the question of where to go? 'Anywhere but here' might work in stories, but Zelda was practical enough to know that, in real life, she needed a destination, a goal…_

_ Then it hit her. What were her two favorite things in the world? Swords and the Chantry. And what was a group that involved both? The Templar!_

_ She had heard stories about these holy warriors, defenders of the world. She also knew that there was a recruiting group in the city at the moment. If she could get them to accept her, not only would she have her freedom, but a purpose as well._

_ Now it was just a matter of getting to them._

_ That was far easier than it probably should have been. Zelda had been sneaking out of her room undetected for years, she knew what to do. Fifteen minutes later, she was slipping into the secret passage and escaping._

* * *

><p>Zelda had eventually gained entrance into the Templar, and spent eight years training before being transferred to the Tower. Several times, she had considered sending a letter back to her family, even going so far as to write a few. In the end, however, she had simply put them away and moved on, resigning herself to the fact that her parents probably never wanted to hear from her again.<p>

Shaking her head, she concentrated the task at hand. She may have had her disagreements with her mother, but she'd be damned if she let Howe win.

A trio of guards were standing around outside the entrance to the treasury, of which the vault was the high-security antechamber. They were on high alert due to what was happening outside, but were unprepared for a pair of mages and templar. One was able to get a brief shout out before William's Winter's Grasp silenced him.

"Let's hurry, just in case someone heard that," he said, melting the lock on the door with his Rod of Fire. The vault itself was magically shielded so that, without a ridiculous display of force, it would be impossible to open.

The treasury looked very much depleted; likely Howe had been appropriating funds for his own use. It also seemed that Howe had been testing the limits of the vault's shield, as the floor was scorched and the walls cracked. The door itself, however, remained the flawless steel that Zelda remembered. She carefully inserted the key and opened the door.

The vault held the most important items in the castle. On the opposite wall hung the Cousland family sword, Faithful, as well as its sister shield, Unyielding. There was also a desk with various important papers, and several other odds and ends.

But Zelda was only really interested in the family arms. Her father had told her that these artifacts had been in the hands of the Cousland family since before Ferelden became a nation. Both were of Dwarven make, silvierite and enchanted. Faithful had been so named after Elethia Cousland had sworn fealty to King Calenhad, and Unyielding after the first battle they fought together. These were the weapons Zelda's father had carried during his time fighting in the army of King Maric, and they had more than lived up to their names. To think that they might fall into the hands of the traitor Howe was unbearable.

Slowly, almost reverently, she lifted the arms from the wall, setting aside her battered Templar sword and shield. Faithful flared as if in greeting, a tongue of fire engulfing the blade from the rune set just above the cross guard.

A slow, mocking applause filled the room, and Zelda spun around. Standing at the entrance to the treasury was a large group of men, led by a tall man with dark brown hair. He was clad in gilded armor and had an expression of smug superiority on his face.

"So, the key finally surfaces," he said. "A shame that I was not the one to claim them first, though I suppose it will be enjoyable to pull them from your dead hands. I thought Templar were above theft."

"Who are you?" Zelda asked furiously, striding forward. The man smiled.

"I am Thomas Howe, and I rule this castle in my father's name, as he is busy with other matters. And you are, oh holy thief?"

"I am Zelda Cousland, the rightful wielder of these weapons and the daughter of the people you're father murdered," Zelda said. Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked. "Then this is my lucky day. Father has been worried that you might stir up trouble. He'll be quite happy to hear that I have captured you. Perhaps he will even let me rule this castle on a more… permanent basis."

"You, capture us?" William chuckled. "Weren't any of your men at the first battle we had? Two dozen stood against us, and only, what, five escaped. If I were in your boots, I'd be more worried about surviving."

"You may have defeated the sell swords outside, but you will not fare as well against me and my elite guard." Thomas drew a greatsword from over his shoulder as he said this.

"Let me ask you, is your 'elite guard' stronger than darkspawn? Werewolves? Demons? Because that's what we fight on a regular basis." Thomas scoffed.

"Your empty boasts mean nothing. Kill the spares, but leave _Lady_ Zelda alive," He smiled evilly at her. "I'm sure Father would want to see her demise."

"That bastard's mine," Zelda snarled, glaring at Thomas.

"Have fun," William said, twirling Spellweaver in his hand.

Thomas and his men charged into the room. A cluster of them were met with a fireball, while several more were tripped up by rock barriers. Two mabari were with them, and Thunder dashed to engage them. Alistair met four of them, his sword and shield dancing to repel their strikes. William sped up, moving almost faster than the eye could track as his magical sword slid under guards and through armor. Wynne, meanwhile, started picking off anyone who started becoming a threat.

Zelda, however, had eyes only for Thomas. He evaded Alistair and rushed at her, his sword raised for a massive strike. Zelda rolled her eyes; it was clear he had no idea what he was doing. This was a disappointment, as she had been hoping of a fight. She easily sidestepped his clumsy swing and could have ended the battle right there, but she needed some information.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did your father betray mine?"

"Because your father was preparing to sell us out to the Orlesians." Thomas said, bringing his sword around for another strike. This time Zelda batted it aside with her shield.

"That's ridiculous," she said scathingly. "Father fought against the Orlesians alongside King Maric. He would never betray Ferelden."

"How do you know that?" Thomas said. "You ran away. How do you know things didn't change?"

"Some things don't change," Zelda said, her sword meeting Thomas'.

"You keep thinking that," Thomas said. "You'll die like your parents did, if not by my hand then by my men's."

Zelda glanced over his shoulder in time to see William gutting his last opponent before dashing to aid Alistair, who had killed two of his enemies. Thunder had the remaining mabari pinned; Wynne had killed the other. "It seems like you're 'elite forces' have been decimated."

"Eh?" Thomas asked, glancing back. Once again, Zelda could have killed him, but she wasn't willing to sully her honor by striking when his back was turned. William waved as the last of his soldiers fell.

"It seems I underestimated you," Thomas said quietly. "But I will not beg for my life. If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me." He spun, his sword arcing towards Zelda's neck.

She coolly ducked and rammed Faithful into his gut. "Please. You don't have the skill to kill me." Thomas was too busy choking on his blood to respond. Zelda watched him crumple.

"Good riddance," Nan said, stepping out from the vault. Zelda wanted to agree, but couldn't get her mouth to work.

"We should get out of here," William said. "Leliana's probably retreating, so this place is going to be swarming with soldiers any minute now." No one disagreed. The met a pair of soldiers on their way to the second escape passage, but dispatched them quickly. After arriving in a small forest not far from the castle, they got their bearings and made their way back to the camp, where Leliana, Shale, Sten, and Morrigan were waiting.

"Oh Maker…" Leliana said. "I was getting worried that something had gone wrong, especially when a group of their soldiers split off before they should have. Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" William said, glancing at Zelda, who ignored him. "We should get going, before the enemy finishes regrouping."

Within fifteen minutes, the group was once more on their way towards the southern mountains, their spirits were low. Once again, the Ashes were their only hope of getting support from the Ferelden nobility.

Zelda sat on the back of Bodan's cart, running her finger along Faithful. Nan was sitting next to her, and both were hoping the other would start a conversation.

Finally, Zelda did. "Nan… what happened after… after I left?"

The older woman sighed. "We were so worried about you. Your mother was absolutely frantic."

"She… didn't hate me?" Zelda asked, scared of the answer.

"No, she didn't. She missed you with all her heart, we all did." Nan sighed. "You're lady mother just wanted you to be safe. She fought in the war; she knew how brutal it was. She didn't want that for you."

Zelda knew Nan meant well with these words, but she might as well have been twisting a knife in her gut. She could have dealt with her parents being angry with her. The thought that they hadn't been mad at her, that her fear hadn't been warranted, that she could have sent those letters, hurt more than any rejection ever could.

"I… I'm sorry," she whispered, raising her hand to wipe away the tears that were beginning to leak out. "I…"

Nan reached out and placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder, like she had when Zelda was a little girl. "I know," she said gently. "But… I think your parents would have been proud of what you chose to do with your life. The Templar are a noble group." Had Zelda been paying attention, she would have noticed William roll his eyes at those words. Instead, she gripped Nan's arm, letting her tears flow.

* * *

><p>Will kept a close eye on Zelda for the next few days. He knew from experience that, after losing people who were important to you, people were more prone to doing potentially self-destructive things. Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn't have to talk to her himself, as Nan was able to keep Zelda going. The older woman would accompany them to Redcliffe, which was on the way to where the Urn was supposed to be. All he had to do was get Morrigan to lay off the distressed Templar; he didn't want them coming to blows.<p>

In the excitement and disappointment of Highever, he had forgotten about Sten's sword until the Qunari mentioned that he knew where the battlefield was. Will quickly glanced at the sky, noted that it was going to be dark soon, and called for a halt.

"So, this is the place?" he asked Sten when the pair, along with Thunder, arrived at the scene, which didn't look much different from any other clearing. The rest of the party was still back at the campsite.

Sten took a long moment to look around before nodding. "Yes, this is the place." He sighed. "As I feared, there is nothing here to find."

"We don't know that yet, let's take a look," Will said. Thunder barked, pressing his nose to the ground and wandering around the site.

Sten shook his head and walked to a seemingly random point. "It was here that I lost consciousness, and the sword was certainly in my hand when I was here."

"You're certain?" Will asked, picking up what looked like a shoulder guard. It was badly cracked and stained with blood.

"I am," Sten rumbled.

A sudden barking came from the center of the clearing as Thunder raised his head. Will crouched down next to him and pulled out a well-worked nub of metal. It took him a moment to recognize it as a pommel.

"Well, it's a start," Will said as he showed it to Sten. He studied the pommel carefully, almost reverently.

"This came from Asala," he whispered. "I remember it being struck from the rest of the weapon during the battle." Will perked up.

"You're absolutely sure that this is from your sword?" he asked.

"Asala was a part of me," Sten said, a note of anger in his voice. "I would know a piece of it anywhere." Will smiled, thinking.

"Then we should be able to track down the rest of your sword. May I see that?" he asked.

"How?" Sten asked, slowly handing the pommel over to Will.

"Remember, I have the memories of an Arlathani Arcane Warrior, one of the greatest mages to ever walk Thedas," Will said, walking to the center of the clearing. "The elves had dozens of uses for magic that went beyond anything we have today." He closed his eyes, focusing his magic for a few seconds before pressing both his palms to the dirt. The earth shifted, forming a perfectly flat circle about two meters in diameter. "One of the most impressive was the school of thaumaturgy." Will drew Spellweaver and quickly started sketching in the ground near the circle.

"What are you doing?" Sten asked warily. It took Will a moment to remember that Qunari weren't particularly fond of magic.

"The basic idea behind thaumaturgy is using a small piece of something to form a connection with the whole," he said, still doing calculations. "This means that I can use it to affect something just by holding a part of it. One of the easiest applications of thaumaturgy is to track something, like a lost sword, by forging a long-range bond between the piece I have and the rest of it, wherever it is."

"So, you can use your magic to find Asala." Sten seemed to be torn between disapproval of magic and hope that it might be able to find his sword.

"I should be able to. Please, give me some time, I have to concentrate."

It took Will almost fifteen minutes to fully calculate the spell. The great weakness of thaumaturgy was that it had to be very precise. Even a small mistake could be devastating, especially on more complex spells. While a tracker should be relatively lenient, Will didn't have as much experience with thaumaturgy yet, so he went back over his calculations several times just to be certain he had them right. Still, it was nice to finally get a chance to use this little trick, he'd been hoping for an excuse for a while. When he was ready, he started carefully filling in the circle he had cleared.

"Are you ready yet?" Sten asked impatiently as Will continued drawing. He paused.

"Do you want this done quickly, or do you want it done _right_?" he asked. "Those are your options." Sten didn't answer, and Will went back to work, tracing precise lines and writing in Elvish.

Thirty minutes after finding the pommel, Will was finally finished with the thaumaturgic circle. Carefully placing the pommel in the center, he touched the trigger point with the tip of Spellweaver, pushed a bit of mana into the circle, and stepped back.

A blinding flash of light filled the clearing, and when it cleared nothing seemed to have changed. However, a stick that Will had placed at the end of a spiral leading into the pommel was humming slightly. As Will pulled it out of the ground, it spun in his palm to point west.

"Well, it worked," he said calmly, handing the stick to Sten. "It's pointing directly at your sword, and judging by the vibrations, it's not actually very far away."

"What do you mean?" Sten asked.

"The more the stick vibrates, the closer it is to the sword." Will explained. "I'd estimate it's only about half a mile away from here."

"What's going on?" Leliana asked, causing Will to jerk. He had been so focused on the circle that he hadn't noticed Leliana, Wynne, and Zelda enter the clearing.

Wynne was studying the circle with interest. "I've never seen anything as complex as this, William."

"It's Arlathani," Will said before giving a brief explanation of thaumaturgy. Everyone looked impressed, except Zelda, who seemed worried.

"You say that you can affect the whole with a part," she said. "Does that include people?"

"Yes," Will said. "I could track a person just as easily as I could track a sword. It's not actually all that different than those phylacteries you use, a part to touch the whole."

"But could you do other things as well?" Zelda pressed.

"Probably," Will said cautiously. "Thaumaturgy is only really limited by time and the ingenuity of the one using it." He raised a hand to cut Zelda off. "Does that mean I am going to do anything? Not really. If I got some of Loghain's hair, I'd be tempted to hit him with thaumaturgy, but other than that I have no real need to use it."

Zelda seemed to decide that that was good enough for her, if only just. Wynne was still examining the circle, trying to figure out how exactly it worked. Sten, meanwhile, was staring at the stick in his hand, which was still pointing west.

"I must go," he said. "If you are right, then Asala is within my reach. I must reclaim it."

"What are you going to do if someone else has it?" Will asked warily.

"_No one_ will keep me from my sword," Sten said in a chilling voice.

"Look, maybe it's best if someone goes with you," Will said carefully. "If you just kill the person who took Asala, it'll probably cause more problems in the long run. Besides, there might still be darkspawn around."

Sten glared at him for a long moment before glancing at the remains of the tracking circle. "Very well, Warden. It is only through you that I have a chance to reclaim what is mine, so I will follow your lead."

"Thanks, Sten," Will said gratefully.

"Do you mind if I come along?" Wynne asked. "I want to talk to you about this… thaumaturgy." Will nodded, and Zelda said something about not being allowed to spend too much time away from Wynne.

"I'll tell the others not to worry," Leliana said. She glanced at Will for a moment, her face unreadable. "Please hurry back." Will nodded, wondering what she was worried about.

He noticed that Wynne was smiling oddly. After a minute of walking, following the stick that Sten was refusing to let go of, he sighed in frustration. "What's so funny, Wynne?"

"Nothing, nothing," the Enchanter said delicately, though the smile didn't leave her face. "Now, why don't you tell me how thaumaturgy works exactly?"

Will knew he wouldn't get a straight answer out of Wynne if she didn't want to give one, so he launched into as detailed an explanation of thaumaturgy as he could. As they continued walking, the stick vibrated more and more, to the point where the hum could be heard even at a distance. They must be getting close.

Suddenly, Will's Warden senses started tingling; there were darkspawn in the area. He held up a hand, concentrating. "Darkspawn," he muttered.

"Where are they?" Zelda asked quietly, looking around.

The darkspawn were getting closer, they must have sensed him. Fortunately, they were coming as a trickle rather than a unified front. That should make this easier.

"They're coming from that way," he said, pointing in the direction the group had been heading. "There's a pair of Alphas, but no Emissary." The first two of Genlocks dashed out of the trees, only to be hit by a pair of Arcane Bolts.

Sten, meanwhile, was staring at the stick, which was humming even more loudly. "Warden, I think that one of the darkspawn has my sword," he said quietly. Will glanced at him.

"Well, that simplifies things," he said as a Hurlock froze to death at his hand.

Then, one of the Alphas arrived, and started rallying the other darkspawn into a fighting force. The second was still a few minutes away, along with several more darkspawn.

"We have to hit them now before they finish unifying," Will said. The others nodded and followed Will. They found a Genlock Alpha, along with a half-dozen Hurlocks, eight Genlocks, and a Shriek.

A fireball wiped out several darkspawn, though the Alpha survived. With a cry, both it and the Shriek stealthed. Unfortunately for the Shriek, it was almost immediately torched by a wave of fire from Spellweaver. Sten and Zelda braced themselves as the rest of the pack charged. Wynne raised the ground on their flanks to prevent them from being surrounded, with Thunder defending their backs. Will, meanwhile, darted forward to meet the Alpha, which he could still sense even if he couldn't see it. A shield blocked its daggers while Spellweaver gave it a gash across its chest, causing it to lose stealth long enough for Will to finish it off.

A massive roar echoed through the forest as an Ogre charged into the clearing, followed by the Hurlock Alpha and three more Genlocks.

"Asala…" Sten muttered, staring at the sword the Alpha was carrying. "Katara, bas! Ebost issala!" With a roar, he smashed through the few remaining darkspawn, rushing the Alpha.

Will was more interested in the Ogre, which seemed to have singled him out. It charged again, but Will was faster, rolling to the side and lashing out with a wave of fire. The Ogre stumbled to a halt, gripping the ground. With another roar, it ripped a chunk of rock, spun, and threw it at Will.

Will had seen this coming, and had already stuck Spellweaver into the ground in front of him and raised his hands, focusing. The boulder's trajectory shifted slightly, flying past him before spinning in a quick orbit, throwing itself back at the Ogre, which fell with a pained cry.

Zelda, Wynne, and Thunder had finished mopping up the rest of the lesser darkspawn, leaving only Sten and the Alpha. Wynne raised her staff, but Will waved her down.

"This is his fight," he said quietly.

Sten and the darkspawn clashed, their greatswords causing a terrible crash every time they met. The Alpha brought Asala down in a massive overhead swing, which Sten blocked, placing his off hand on the blade. After a moment of pushing, Sten twisted his blade, bringing the pommel up to the Alpha's armored face, causing it to stumble away. It was able to block the Qunari's next strike, but its balance was destroyed and a third blow knocked it off its feet. Before it could recover, Sten spun his sword and rammed it through the Alpha, pinning it to the ground. Without bothering to remove the sword, he bent down and retrieved Asala. He spent a moment staring at it, running his hand along the small nicks.

"I had almost forgotten what completion felt like," he whispered. "A great weight has finally fallen from my shoulders." He turned to Will. "I must thank you, Warden. Without your assistance, I would never have found Asala."

"Glad I could help, Sten," Will said. "So, shall we head back?" Sten nodded, smiling for the first time.

"Yes… kadan."

(Codex: Qunari)

Anyone who travels far enough to the north will eventually encounter the Qunari: White-haired, bronze-skinned giants, a head again taller than a man, with frighteningly calm demeanors and a sort of sparkling fire behind their eyes.

For quite a long time, people believed that all Qunari were male, or that their men and women were simply indistinguishable. It was not until the Blessed Age that diplomats from Rivain were allowed, however briefly, to visit Par Vollen, and there they discovered that Qunari females do exist in abundance, and are quite easily recognized. The Rivaini say that Qunari have a certain kindness to them, or at least a conspicuous lack of cruelty, although I did not observe the creatures closely enough to evaluate their character.

_-From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi._

AN: I got the idea of thaumaturgy from the Dresden Files, one of the greatest series of books _ever_! I hope you like the chapter, and please review.

* Dirthamen: the Arlathani god of mystery and secrets


	19. Never Forget

Review Response:

InstantoCommander: Thank you for reading. I've been trying very hard to prevent Will from being a Marty/Mary Sue, and I'm glad at least someone thinks I'm succeeding.

Warning: The flashback later in the chapter has incredibly uncomfortable subject material! It is not for the faint of heart!

Chapter 18: Never Forget

Will's eyes jerked open, the archdemon's roars still echoing in his mind.

"To think there would come a day when I missed the dreams where the demons started talking," he muttered as he sat up, looking around the tent. "At least then I could tell them to go away."

Thunder snorted in his sleep, causing Will to jump slightly. Giving up on the idea of getting back to sleep, he slipped on the under layer of his Arcane Warrior armor, grabbed Spellweaver, and ducked out of the tent.

It appeared that he had been asleep for at least four hours since his watch had ended, since it seemed both Sten and Alistair had taken their turns and Wynne was sitting near the center of camp. Shale, being a golem, never slept, but the group had decided that two guards were better than one. Thus, they had kept the watch pattern that they had developed before the walking statue had joined them.

"It has trouble resting?" Shale asked as he stomped up behind Will.

"Yes, it does," Will shot back. He had given up on trying to convince to golem to stop calling him it, deciding that everyone deserved their little quirks, even if they were made of rock.

"But does that not make it less effective?" Shale asked. "One of the many terrible burdens of being a flesh creature."

"A little," Will said. "I can handle it, though." He smiled. "But it's nice to know you're worried about little, fleshy me."

"It is not quite as inferior as others," Shale said idly. "Does that mean I feel concern for it? Perhaps. If it were to die, I may be moved to a single tear before leaving."

"That's so sweet, Shale," Will said, chuckling.

"Don't tell anyone," Shale said. "It might give other meatbags hope that they might become better one day, and that would be very misleading." Will nodded sagely.

"So, in your long night of musing, did you remembera anything more about your past?" he asked. During the conversations he had had with Shale, he had quickly learned that the golem had many holes in his memories. He could recall most of what had happened in Honnleath, a fact that he gripped about almost constantly. He could also remember flashes of the Deep Roads. Beyond that, however, the golem was a blank slate.

"Nothing," Shale said.

"Well, knowing our luck, we'll find our way into the Deep Roads before this mess is over, and maybe we'll find the place where you were."

"Oh, undoubtlably. It will be interesting to see what it and its companions make of the Deep Roads. My former master survived, so it can't be that difficult." Will chuckled at the golems dry assessment, nodded goodbye, and wandered over to where Wynne was sitting.

"You should really get more sleep, William," Wynne said gently.

"I would have, but the archdemon had other ideas," Will said. "I'm surprised Alistair isn't out here as well."

"He only went to sleep a few minutes ago," Wynne said. "He must have just been too tired for even a tainted god to awaken him."

"I wonder if that says more about him or the tainted god?" Will asked. Wynne smiled at that.

"It's good to see your sense of humor is not completely dead, even if it is a bit sarcastic for my taste." The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Wynne spoke up again. "Leliana tells me that you're allowing her to use your shortened name."

"Your point?" Will asked, feeling his face heat up slightly. Wynne kept smiling.

"I'm simply glad that you've found someone to confide in," she said. "After what happened with Jowen, I was worried that you might not open up again." Will sighed.

"I'd almost forgotten about that, any now you have to remind me, don't you?" he said. Wynne shrugged.

"I'm sorry, William," she said. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories for you."

Will sighed. "To tell you the truth… I don't know if I'm still mad at him. What he did was stupid, no denying that, but I just can't stay mad at him." Will shrugged. "I mean, it's not like becoming a blood mage is the first stupid thing he did."

"But it's on a different level, William," Wynne said. "Blood magic is not a simple error that can be easily corrected. It is a taint that can never, ever be left behind." She sighed. "And, no matter how this ends, the Circle will get him in the end."

A long, tense silence passed between the two before Wynne gently reached out and gripped Will's arm. He hissed slightly as she rubbed the tender skin underneath.

"You put them back, didn't you?" she asked sadly. "William…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Will said coldly, pulling his arm from her grip. "It's my choice, please respect it."

"Please, listen to me," Wynne said. "I know how you felt about Solona…"

"I still feel that way, _Senior Enchanter_," Will said coldy. "And nothing you say will make me feel otherwise, so save your breath."

"Her actions…" Wynne tried again, but Will cut her off.

"You know nothing of her actions that night, stop pretending that you do!"

"Neither do you, William!" Wynne said fiercly. "You're letting your emotions blind you!"

'How little you know…' Will thought, though he remained silent. No one would believe him anyways.

"William, please," Wynne said more quietly. "It's been seven years. Let her go." She waved her hand, and blue light started forming around his arm.

"Don't bother," Will said, bringing up a shield. "It'll just hurt more when I put them back." Wynne hissed in frustraition, but let the healing energy fade.

"You can be remarkably stubborn when you want to be, you know that?"

"I know," Will said grimly before glancing to the east, where the glow of the sun was beginning to appear. "It's almost dawn, I need to get the rest of my armor." With that, he turned and left Wynne.

He consulted the map an hour later, thinking. The party would reach Redcliffe today, where they would leave Nan, before heading further south to a little-used road that should take them to the base of the mountains. With any luck, they would be able to find the Urn, bring it back to Redcliffe, and save Arl Eamon.

"What are you thinking, Will?" Leliana asked, moving up quietly to walk beside him.

"Not much," he said, gesturing to the map. "Just looking at where we have to go." Leliana watched him for a long moment.

"You seem… I would say distressed, but it's too strong a word. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Leliana," Will said. "I appreciate the thought, though."

"…Okay…" Leliana said slowly. "If you ever want to talk, I'll be there for you, like you were for me."

"Thank you, Leliana." Will said, smiling at the former Bard. She smiled back slightly sheepishly, but didn't drift away.

The party continued walking in silence for about an hour before finding something worrying.

"What happened here?" Zelda asked as they surveyed the scene of devistation in front of them. Several bodies were scattered around the path. Many were obviously darkspawn, but most of the others were Templar, with one robed mage added in.

Thunder, who had run into the crowd and started sniffing at the bodies, suddenly howled.

"What is it?" Will asked as he ran over. He got his answer when he saw the Templar was moving.

"Who…" he groaned.

"Don't speak, save your energy," Wynne said quietly, crouching down next to him and starting to cast healing magic.

"Others…" the templar coughed. "Find… others… Dirk… Morgan… Carroll…"

Will's eyes widened. 'Carroll?' he thought. "Where are they?" he asked the Templar.

"Fled…" the man's breath caught for a long moment. "Went… that way…" he said while pointing.

"Did the darkspawn persue them?" Will asked, trying to get the Templar to focus.

"Yes…"

"Thunder, come on!" Will called, jumping to his feet. "The rest of you, stay here. We'll move faster on our own."

"You're crazy!" Leliana cried. "There's no way you can…"

"Don't worry about me! Speed's the most important thing here." Will said, already rushing in the direction the injured templar had given him.

"It's happened at last, Solona," he whispered as he ran, sensing the darkspawn ahead. "At long, long last." The words on his arm flared with a phantom pain as he sprinted onwards.

Had he been paying the slightest bit of attention to what was happening behind him, he might have noticed Zelda rushing after him.

* * *

><p>Carroll stumbled as the darkspawn's blade smashed into his shield. He wimpered slightly as the unholy screeching continued, heralding the arrival of even more of these monsters.<p>

"Please, someone, anyone, help me…" he whispered, trying to drive the trio of human-shaped monsters back, but only succeeding in allowing them to knock his sword out of his hand. He retreated behind his shield again, wincing as he was forced back again.

When he, Dirk, and Morgan had retreated from the lost battle, he had hoped that the darkspawn would spend their time picking over the slain. It seemed, however, that they were more interested in hunting survivers. His friends had been cut down, one after another. And he was not long for this world.

With another mocking cry, one of the darkspawn rammed its sholder into him, driving him backwards and over a log. His shield slid from his arm, leaving him completely undefended. He watched the horrible, blood stained face rise above him before forcing his eyes shut. He didn't want that… _beast_… to be the last thing he saw before dying!

Suddenly, his Templar senses tingled slightly, and a roar filled the clearing. He was about to open his eyes when he realized that, even through the lids, he could still see the bright light, and decided that looking directly at the flames would probably blind him.

Over the roaring fire, he heard shrieks of agony from the darkspawn that had been tormenting him. He would have found the sounds beautiful had they not been so ear-piercingly loud.

After a few moments, the flames died, and the sound of metal meeting metal filled the clearing. Deciding that it was safe to get up, he struggle to his feet. It took him a moment to realize what was happeneing since the battle was going so _fast_!

There were about six darkspawn still alive, and it seemed that there was only one person fighting them. And by person, Carroll meant greenish blur moving too fast for the eye to track. Around the rest of the clearing were scattered the crispy corpses of the other beasts.

His eyes were drawn back to the battle as a pair of darkspawn fell. One was headless, and the other had a hole that could only have come from an Arcane Bolt. The blur spun, its leg snapping up in a sharp kick that sent another darkspawn flopping backwards, its neck snapped by the force of the blow under its chin. Another slashed at the temporarily still warrior, but stumbled as a plain of magical energy sprung up, causing the notched blade to skim off at an angle and carry the darkspawn with it.

Two of the smaller ones tried to jump the armored mage together, but were interrupted by a mass of snarling fur. One was killed almost immediately, while the other turned to engage too late to save itself.

Carroll's savior killed the enemy he had knocked off balance before reaching out his hand towards the final darkspawn, starting to form a fist. Bands of light wrapped themselves around the monster, tightening as the hand clenched. With a final squeal, the darkspawn died with a sickening cruch, and Carroll winced as jagged shards of bone sliced their way through the skin and the skull imploded like an egg.

The figure paused, his green but bloodstained armor glinting slightly in the sun. Finally, he turned to Carroll, removing his helmat as he approached.

"William Surana?" Carroll whispered. He had heard of what the newly christened Dragon Mage had pulled off in the Tower, though he had not witnessed it himself. A part of him has thought that everyone must have been exaggerating, but it seemed that, if anything, they had underestimated him.

"Carroll," Somehow, the Templar couldn't help but be worried by the young mage's tone. It seemed… too friendly. He drove these thoughts from his mind; William had just saved his life.

"Yes, it's me," he said, walking towards the mage and holding out his hand. "I must say, I was not expecting you to…"

He was interrupted as William suddenly kicked him, knocking him onto his back again.

"What was that for?" Carroll asked indignanly, trying to rise to his feet. He was stopped, however, as William coldly placed a boot on his chest. "What are you doing?"

William simply stared at Carroll, his expression unreadable. For a moment, Carroll hoped that he was about to start laughing and help Carroll up. His face, however, slowly split into a feral grin.

"I was beginning to fear that I was never going to reach this moment," he said, almost seeming to talk to himself rather than Carroll.

"What moment?" Carroll asked fearfully, his eye on the long, claw-like sword in Surana's hand. "What are you talking abou?"

Surana's eyes hardened. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that you remember your crimes. After all, she was only one mage, no one important to a mighty Templar such as yourself." His feral smile widened. "Let's see if I can jog your memory." His voice dropped into a menacing growl "Seven years ago. Kingsway. Ninth day of the month. It was night, you and Drass were on patrol…"

Carroll paled, but Surana's voice continued to burn into him, cold and ruthless. "And then you heard a noise, didn't you. Screams, shouts. And then, nothing." His smile faded into a scowl. "And like any Templar would, you rushed to the scene. And what did you find?" He paused, glaring at Carroll. "What did you find, Carroll? Answer me."

"I…we…" Carroll stumbled over his words as the sword in Surana's hand started crackling with lightning. "We found a girl…"

"And what did the girl look like?" Surana asked. "Do you even recall her name?"

"It… was Solona, right?" Carroll said hopefully. When Surana didn't respond, Carroll pushed on. "She… looked like she'd been in a fight. And there was the burned body…"

Surana snorted. "And what should you have done?" he asked, ignoring Carroll's attempt to defend himself.

"What do you…" Carroll started before being cut off.

"By your all-important Templar law, what should you have done in that situation?" Surana's eyes were blazing with fury.

"We… should have arrested her," Carroll whispered.

"That's right," Surana said. "What did you do instead?"

"I'm sorry!" Carroll wailed. Surana jerked his hand, slamming Carroll's head back into the ground hard enough to make his world spin for a moment.

"What. Did. You. Do. Instead?" Surana growled furiously.

"It was Drass!" Carroll said. "I didn't do anything!"

"Percisely!" Surana shouted. "You did nothing! You stood by while your partner killed her! His sins are yours!" Surana's eyes blazed furiously. "What did you tell the Knight Commander afterwards, believing somehow that he would care about what you had done?"

"What…" Carroll started, only to have the sword place itself at his neck. "We told him she was a blood mage! We said that we saw her doing it!"

"Yes, you did," Surana said. "But you messed up." Carroll shuddered as the feral smile returned. "You should have been a bit more careful in searching for any witnesses. Witnesses such as a frightened, paralyzed, fourteen year old elf."

"You…" Carroll wimpered. "You were there?"

"I was, and that night is burned into my memory and my soul." Surana said, an almost manicle glint in his eyes. "I have waited for this moment for seven years, Carroll. Seven long years."

"I'm sorry!" Carroll tried again. "I didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean it?" Surana whispered. "How do you not mean watching your companion ramming a sword through a girl's stomach and then shoving her off like a piece of trash, doing nothing all the while? How do you not mean murder?"

Carroll opened his mouth, but Surana drove his sword into the ground beside his head. "Do you recall what she said as the sword was rammed in?" Carroll shook his head, blinking back tears. "'Please! Stop! You don't understand! I…'"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Surana said brutally. "Sorry doesn't bring Solona back. It can't wipe the sight of her eyes dimming in death from my mind." He raised the sword, slowly and dramaticly. "But maybe, just maybe, the sight of _your_ eyes dimming will bring some peace."

Carroll squeezed his eyes shut for the second time, bracing himself for the blow to fall.

"Were't you paying attention to what I said, Carroll?" Surana said quietly, and a force gripped Carroll's eyelids, forcing them open. "I want to _watch_ you die. If I was merely content with your death, I would have left you to the darkspawn, they would have made it much more painful." Carroll stared hopelessly into the cold blue eyes, waiting for the sword to fall.

Suddenly a flash of light engulfed Surana, causing him to hiss in pain and stumble away from Carroll. He turned his head, blinking at the sight of another Templar standing at the edge of the clearing, their hand extended.

"Warden William Surana, stand down!" she shouted.

"Sir Zelda?" Carroll asked.

"Stay out of this!" Surana called, rising to his full hight. "This is between me and Carroll."

"You were about to murder a Templar," Zelda said, advancing on the angry mage. "Whatever grudge you may have against Carroll, you cannot go through with what you were about to do."

"You don't understand," Surana said coldly, raising his blade. Carroll felt another pulse of magic, and Zelda was engulfed in a Force Field. "Where were we, Carroll?"

Carroll desperately tried to crawl to his shield, which lay nearby. Surana, however, was faster. Before Carroll got even halfway to it, Surana jumped over him, kicked the shield away, kicked him onto his back again, and pinned him down with a foot.

"I've waited too long for this to let the moment escape," he said quietly, forcing Carroll to look him in the eye again. "May your soul wander the abyss for all of time." The sword fell like a bolt of lightning, and Carroll felt a sharp pain just below his heart. He dimly recognized that that was where Drass had stabbed Solona. As his vision began to blur, he heard one last chilling declaration.

"May you never find peace."

* * *

><p>Zelda screamed as she pressed her hands against the Force Field, desperately trying to bring her Templar powers to bear. Her efforts were useless, however, as she watched William brutally run Carroll through.<p>

She could barely believe her eyes. She had always seen William as a calm, noble mage. He had been one of the people she looked to to prove that not all mages were inherently evil. To watch him so casually kill a Templar for absolutely no reason…

William stood silently for a minute, staring down at the dead body before him. Thunder slowly padded over to his master, nudging his hand. William gently rubbed the dog's head before pulling his sword from Carroll's chest and walking away, passing Zelda without a second glance as he replaced his helmat. She tried to shout at him through the Force Field, but he obviously couldn't hear her.

As he passed, the spell failed, allowing Zelda to move again. As she watched him walk away, she felt the horror and pain in her heart turn to rage.

"FACE ME YOU COWARD!" she screamed, lashing out with another Holy Smite to get his attention. He stumbled again, before slowly turning around.

"Let it lie, Zelda," he said coldly. "You do not want to fight me."

"Oh, you are very much mistaken, murderer!" Zelda shouted as she sprinted towards him, letting her anger drive her and raising Faithful as she came.

Williams eyes narrowed as his sword rose into a block. "If you attack me, I cannot garuntee your safety," he said as Zelda brough her blade down, causing the two to clash. Thunder wimpered, trying to force his way between them.

"Why do you care?" she growled as she slammed her shield into his gut, driving him back. "Didn't mind murdering Carroll, what's different about me."

"You are not responsible for his crimes," William said, blocking another swing from Faithful, the raising his arm to block another strike from her shield. "But if you insist on attacking me…"

"Fight, coward!" she shouted again, lashing out with Templar energy. His face contorted briefly in pain, but he shook it off.

"Very well, if you insist."

His sword started moving in a blur, forcing Zelda briefly onto the defense. Her anger refused to allow her to sit back, driving her to attack again. William fell back under the fury of her assault.

"Stay out of this, Thunder," he growled as the mabari started barking wildly. Zelda ignored him, spinning her sword around in another arc towards his neck. He brought his sword up in a block her, but still stumbled slightly from the force of the attack. Zelda's anger continued to build, especially when it became clear that he still wasn't giving their fight everything he had.

"Stop playing around!" Zelda snarled. "I want to _fight_ you!"

"Fine!" William shouted, his eyes blazing. "You want to die? I'll grant your wish!"

Flames roared from the end of Spellweaver, forcing Zelda back a step as she covered her face with her shield. She stumbled back as a wave of telekinisis washed over her. She lowered her shield just in time to see William dashing forward, Spellweaver wreathed in flames. He started driving her back towards the edge of the forest. Zelda knew she was more skilled than he was, but he was just so damn fast that she couldn't keep up. The few attacks she did get in were blocked by his magical shields, and every now and then he would hit her with a wave of magic, only a few of which she was able to dispel.

As she passed the tree line, she tried once more to attack him. Rather than use a shield, however, Will simply grabbed her wrist before spinning around. Zelda had only a brief moment to wonder what he was doing before her back slammed into a nearby tree. It hurt. A lot. He then proceded to spin her the other way, smashing her face-first into the same tree. That hurt even more. Finally, he threw her aside.

"Had enough yet, _Templar_?" he asked scathingly as she rose unsteadily to her feet.

"Fuck you too, _murderer_!" she growled back, using another Holy Smite. He was able to bring up a shield, but the force of her attack shattered it, leaving him stunned for a brief moment. She charged, raising her sword for a devastating overhead blow.

He sidestepped at the last possible second. As she started turning, she saw the heel of his boot heading towards her face. The force of the blow knocked her onto her back and dented her helmat. It also left the world spinning, no matter how much she tried to focus.

She saw a shape that could only be William standing over her, his sword raised for a killing blow, saying something that she couldn't understand. She tried to curse at him, but her head hurt too much for her to concentrate.

Suddenly, another shape appered in her vision; a four legged shape. It stood over her protectively, glaring up at William.

"…out of my way, Thunder," the mage growled. "You heard her, she wanted this." The mabari refused to move, barking reproachfully at his master. Zelda blinked, finally starting to be able to focus. William's eyes were narrowed furiously.

"You're lucky my dog likes you, Zelda," he said finally, sheathing his sword. "Attack me again, and you'll get no mercy." With that, he turned and stalked away, seeming to head in a random direction. Thunder paused, glancing worriedly at Zelda.

"Go with your master," she groaned, sitting up. "I don't want him to die before he faces justice for what he's done here." She looked around for her weapons, which she had dropped when William kicked her. The mabari cocked his head, whining slightly as she stumbled. "Go on, I'm fine."

Finally, the dog nodded before trotting dejectedly after his master. She watched the two of them leave the clearing, William slowly running his hand along the mabari's head and neck.

Zelda sadly moved over to Carroll, reaching down and closeing his eyes, which were still wide in pain and fear. "You're death won't go unpunished, brother," she whispered. "He may have won this round, but he can't evade the Templar forever, Grey Warden or no." She briefly considered trying to carry the body back, but quickly dismissed the idea, it was far too heavy, especially when she still had a headache from having her head hit and kicked.

It took her almost ten minutes to walk back to where the others were waiting, since she kept stumbleing. Fortunatly, it seemed all the darkspawn were dead, so she wouldn't have to fight again for a while.

"Zelda!" Wynne cried. "We were getting worried! What happened to your helmat? Where's William?"

"I don't know," she said. "He left after our battle."

"Battle?" Alistair gasped. "Aren't we on the same side?"

"He murdered Carroll."

"What?" everyone gasped, staring at Zelda as if she were mad.

"I watched him do it," Zelda groaned. "I tried to stop him, but he used one of those damn Force Fields. After that failed, I attacked him. He won."

"Well, that 'tis not hard to believe," Morrigan said scathingly.

"Witch, you really don't want to make me mad right now!" Zelda growled, raising her sword.

"Stop it!" Leliana shouted, shaking her head as she stepped between the two. "This isn't the time to fight among ourselves!" She turned back to Zelda. "You're sure?"

"Absolutly," Zelda said, still glaring at the smirking witch over Leliana's sholder.

"I… I can't believe it…" Alistair whispered, running his hand along his head.

Zelda jerked as a something grabbed her helmat. "Relax," Sten said. "I am getting it off." After a moment, she heard the metal creak back into a shape that would allow her head out, which she gladly did.

"I agree with Alistair," Leliana said. "Will always seemed so calm. Why would he do something like this?"

Wynne, meanwhile, was staring blankly into the forest. Finally, she spoke up. "I think I might know," she said bitterly. "Though I don't see how it's possible…"

"Oh, this should be good," Morrigan said. Only Leliana's warning look stopped Zelda from lashing out at the smug apostate right then and there.

"It's a long story," Wynne said sadly. "We should get going, rather than just stand around." She glanced at the Templar she had been treating. "His wounds were too severe, Zelda, I'm sorry." Zelda nodded bitterly. Another of her brothers dead today.

The party started walking towards Redcliffe, waiting for Wynne to gather her thoughs. "I suppose it starts just after William arrived at the Tower fourteen years ago," she started finally. "His magic had shown itself under particularly traumatic circumstances; he had just watched his aunt murdered for no reason, and was lashing out at her attackers." She took a deep breath. "There were many Templar, and even a few mages, who thought that he was too dangerous to train, that he had learned violence too early. They thought that he should be made Tranquil immediately."

"But, wasn't he only seven?" Leliana gasped.

"He was," Wynne said "and ultimately the Knight Commander and First Enchanter decided to give him a chance. He was on very strict probabtion, however. Normally, children are allowed a bit more leeway as they adapt to their new environment, but it was made clear to him that if he put even a toe out of line, he would be punished. It didn't help that he was already a bundle of anger and pain. For a time, I thought he wasn't going to make it." She smiled sadly. "He probably wouldn't have, were it not for Solona Amell."

"I've never heard of her," Zelda said.

"She died before you arrived, but I'll get to that." Zelda was surprised by the raw pain in Wynne's voice as she said those words. "Solona was a gentle soul. She took a liking to William, placed herself as his guardian and guide. She alone was able to break through the walls he had started putting up around himself. I don't exaggerate when I say she saved his life."

"Then…" Alistair started, but Leliana shushed him, gesturing for Wynne to continue.

"William adored Solona," Wynne said. "She was something between big sister and best friend to him. And she cared about him just as much; she told me that she saw him as the little brother she never got to have. In time, she convinced him to branch out, introducing him to people like Anders and Jowan." She chuckled quietly, though she seemed more sad than amused. "Solona was my apprentice, and I remember gently encouraging the sibling affections she held for him. I wanted to protect her from the problems that would have come with a deeper attatchement, though by the end, I think William was starting to see her in a more… romantic light." She sighed again. "Maybe that's why he took it so hard."

"What went wrong?" Zelda asked. Wynne closed her eyes for a long moment, gathering herself. Finally, she continued in an empty voice.

"To this day, I don't know where I went wrong with Solona. Had someone told me what was going to happen the night before, I would have laughed and checked them for head injuries." Zelda watched a tear leak from Wynne's eye. "Solona turned to blood magic."

"What?" Alistair asked. "I thought you said she was a good person?"

"I know; that's why it's so shocking," Wynne said sadly. "Maybe it was just an accident, maybe she was just experimenting, and maybe a demon got to her, I don't know." Wynne shook her head. "One night, a pair of Templar, Carroll and Drass, were patrolling when they heard a disturbance. The rushed to the scene in time to see Solona finish off another Templar, Knight Capitain Valter, I think his name was."

"So they killed her?" Zelda asked, though she already knew the answer.

"They did," Wynne said. "Quickly and decisively."

"Poor Will must have been devastated," Leliana said quietly. Zelda supposed the former Sister was right, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any pity for him.

"He was. It was like when he first arrived all over again. He loved Solona so much, he simply couldn't accept the thought that she might have betrayed everthing the Circle stands for. To this day, he refuses to believe it, insisting that something else happened that night."

"But how did he know who did the deed?" Zelda asked. "No one told him, did they?"

"Of course not!" Wynne said. "He would have gone beserk if he'd known who killed Solona." She shook her head. "That's what I don't understand, how did he find out?"

"Wait, you said the other Templar was Drass?" Leliana asked suddenly.

"Yes…" Zelda started, before her memory caught up with her. "Oh Maker… he called Drass in the Circle Tower! He knew even then!"

"He did, didn't he?" Wynne said. "I… though he might have… but I convinced myself that it was a coincidence, that he was telling the truth…" She bowed her head.

The group walked in silence for a long time. "So what do we do now?" Alistair asked.

"We find him, that's what!" Zelda hissed. "He may have been able to defeat just me, but together, we can take him."

"Who says we want to?" Morrigan snapped. "I, for one, will not raise my magic against him. He's one of the last Grey Wardens in Ferelen, lest you forget, and he is certainly the last competent one. Killing him would doom us all in the long run."

"And the fact that you openly hate Templar has nothing to do with this?" Zelda snarled.

"I do not deny my views, nor am I ashamed of them, but the fact remains that William Surana is Ferelden's only hope. If anyone is letting their emotions blind them, it is you." Zelda's frustration peaked again, and she took a step closer to the witch.

"Zelda, stop!" Leliana said firmly. "And Morrigan, stop baiting her. We don't need to fight among ourselves!"

"What would you have us do, then?" Zelda asked.

"Wynne, you said that he didn't believe Solona was actually a blood mage… maybe he knows something we don't."

"Like what?" Wynne asked.

"I don't know," Leliana admitted. "But what I do know is that I want to hear his side of the story before I judge him."

"So how do we find him?" Alistair asked. "I can't sense him, and he could have gone anywhere."

"Morrigan, you're the only one who can find him. Please," Leliana said to the witch.

"'Tis a surprise that a Chantry sister would turn to an apostate for help," Morrigan said as she shifted into her hawk form.

"As I said, we have more important things to worry about!" Leliana shouted after Morrigan. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother," she muttered after a moment.

"Because you're a better person than she will ever be?" Alistair said. "And I hope you're right about William. He's a much better leader than I am."

"You're not that bad," Leliana said gently. "If you're still upset about not going into the Tower with us, you probably made the smarter decision. Perhaps not the right one when it came down to it, but the smart one."

"Really?" Alistair asked, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head.

"Really," Wynne said. "Your main problem is a lack of confidence."

"That's nice of you to say," Alistair said, his ears turning slightly red.

The party continued on in silence, waiting for Morrigan to return and report on William's position. After a few minutes, a hawk dove from the sky and reformed into the witch.

"If I had to hazard a guess," she said "He's still heading towards the mountains. Either he assumes we will follow, or he believes he can complete the quest on his own." She smiled. "Though I suppose his performance…"

"Morrigan…" Leliana said wearily, "You've made your point, you don't have to make it again." The witch looked slightly surprised at Leliana's comment, but quickly smoothed her face into her usual sneer. "How far ahead is he?" Leliana continued.

"Quite far," she said. "We won't be able to catch him if we have to slow down for this cart."

"Well," Bodan said. "My boy Sandel and I can go on to Redcliffe, it's not far. The old cart would have had problems moving through the rough terrain, and we never would make it up the mountain."

"Alright," Alistair said. "We should grab some equipment and rations and get going, William's probably not going to wait for us." The party complied, and after Wynne and Leliana convinced Shale to carry several extra bags, they set off southeast after William.

Morrigan flew out several more times to keep track of William. Leliana asked her to try and talk to him, but she said that she wasn't interested in annoying him, not after "that silly Templar frustrated him."

Zelda kept to herself as the group continued onwards. She was still trying to think of any reason that would give William the moral high ground. Even if this Solona Amell was not a blood mage, she had done something to provoke Carroll and Drass. And if he knew something about what had happened that night that he wasn't telling anyone, the only way he would have known was if he was there himself.

A chill struck Zelda. Wynne had said that there was a dead Templar at the scene. What if Carroll and Drass had made a mistake who was responsible? If William had been there, maybe he had killed Valter, and Solona had simply taken the fall? Still, he would be even more of a criminal then; killing Carroll could be chalked up as a distraught young man getting revenge on the people who killed the girl he loved. Killing Valter, however, had no such excuse.

She looked around at the rest of the party. Morrigan had already stated that she would not support any effort to bring William to justice, which meant she would likely fight to protect him. Wynne, on the other hand, was a loyal member of the Circle, she would probably do the right thing if it came down to it.

The rest of the group were harder to predict. Shale didn't seem to have a stake in the fight, so he might stay neurtal. Alistair had been a Templar, so he must have learned the terrible things that could happen when a mage went rogue. Still, he had a fear of leadership, so he could take either side. Qunari were said to dislike mages, but Sten seemed to have a deep respect for William ever since he found Sten's sword.

Zelda glanced at Leliana. She was the hardest to predict. On the one hand, she obviously liked William, so she might follow him. However, if he pushed her far enough, the sense of betrayal might make her switch sides.

Either way, even if it were everyone else against William, Morrigan, and Thunder, it would be an ugly fight.

As night started to fall, Morrigan returned again. "The dog is forcing him to stop," she said. "Silly mutt just sat down and refused to move another step."

"You almost sound like you don't want us to catch up," Zelda said coldly, glaring at the witch.

"That depends. Are you going to put aside your preconceived notions of guilt and innocents and listen, or are you going to stab him in the back the second you see him?"

"Enough!" Leliana snapped. "We're going to talk to him, and by _we_, I mean Wynne and myself. You two clearly can't curb your tounges!" Both Morrigan and Zelda blinked at the vehemence in the redhead's voice. It seemed that the constant bickering between the pair of them had finally set her off.

Fifteen minutes later, the group finally found William. He was sitting against a tree, staring at a sphere of fire hovering between his hands. He had not removed his armor, nor had he put up any sort of shelter. Thunder the mabari was sitting at his feet, and looked up as the party entered the clearing. William gave no indication that he had accnowlaged their existence.

"Will? Are you alright?" Leliana asked gently, moving over to kneel beside him. "We were worried about you."

He seemed to continue ignoring her, but Zelda noticed that the flame he was controlling started flickering. "Will, please answer me. Are you hurt?" Leliana continued. William shook his head mutely, still glaring at the fire in his hands. "Do you feel up to talking to us a bit? We want to hear your side of the story."

"So you haven't decided yet?" Zelda was surprised by how raw William's voice was as he said this. "You have all the information you need; you have a Templar's word. That's all anyone ever needs when dealing with mages."

"That's not true, William," Wynne said.

"Oh?" William said furiously, finally letting the flame die as he glared at Wynne. "Has there ever been a time when the Templar have taken the word of a mage over one of their own?" Wynne remained silent, causing William to smirk. "Didn't think so."

"Please, Will," Leliana said, trying to get his attention back on herself. "You… we need to understand. We don't want to argue with you, we want to help…"

"There is no help," William said, restarting the fire in his hands. "Even if you could comprehend what I would tell you, you would never believe it."

Leliana then did a very brave thing. She reached out and gently touched the back of his hand. "Will, I promise I'll listen," she said soothingly. "I really do want to understand."

The fire died again as William looked at Leliana for a long moment. "You're in the solitary minority," he said, looking around. "Everyone else has already decided what they understand. Zelda hates me, Wynne's disappointed, Alistair's scared that he's going to have to lead, Morrigan's happy I killed a Templar, and Sten and Shale don't care. No one else is interested in having their opinions changed."

"You're not helping, William," Wynne said sternly. The elf's eyes snapped back to her, blazing in fury.

"What if I don't want to help!" he snarled. "What if I'm done? What if I just want to stop?"

"But you don't, Will," Leliana said. "If you were done, you would have just let Zelda kill you in her anger. If you were finished, you wouldn't have stopped here. Thunder would have followed you had you kept going, you know that." He didn't look to her. "No, you want us to understand. You care about us, even if you pretend you don't."

Alistair slowly crouched down. "William, please," he said. "Leliana's right, we do want to understand you're reasons. I don't believe Duncan would have chosen you if you were a bad person."

"It's not that simple," William said.

"Then make it simple," Wynne said. "Tell us what you saw that night."

William glared at her for a long moment. "Fine. I'll tell you, though I don't know why I'm bothering, you won't believe me."

* * *

><p><em> Seven years ago<em>

_ '…fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…' Will thought, staring at the top of the bunk above him, trying to imagin a herd of sheep jumping over a fence. He quickly gave up, however, as the effort failed to make him even the slightest bit drowsy. 'Bet Anders knew it was useless,' Will thought, rolling his eyes._

_ He turned his attention to another bed not too far from his own, It was too dark to see any details, he could still see Solona breathing. He smiled as he watched her, the knowlage that his best friend was nearby had always been a great comfort to Will. He remembered the brief time when she had moved to the second dorm when he had been ten, sleeping had been much more difficult during that time. It was odd that Will was still awake at this time. Usually, he was able to drift off. However, tonight, something was keeping him up. _

_ As he pondered, he heard metal shifting near the back of the room. He quickly started squinting, a skill he had perfected. To all but the most trained eyes, Will was asleep._

_ He expected to see the Templar simply moving through the room at a lazy patrol, just checking that no one seemed to be dreaming to intensly. However, Will was surprised to see him moving quietly but deliberately, ignoring everyone he passed. _

_ The Templar stopped beside Solona's bed and shook her._

_ Will watched his friend lift her head, heard her sleepy murmers. The Templar said something that Will couldn't understand, causing Solona to lift her head some more. The Templar gestured for her to get up, stepping back. Solona slowly slid from her bed, glancing around. _

_ Will couldn't understand what was going on. At first, he thought that Solona was going for her Harrowing, but quickly dismissed that idea as ridiculous; she was only sixteen! As the Templar led her from the room, Will felt a chill pass over him, despite the blanket that he was hugging to himself. Something was wrong._

_ He slowly turned over, looking around the room for the other Templar who was assigned to the room. The fear in his heart intensified when he realized that there was no second Templar, a frightful breach of Templar rules. Why would the guard just leave? Why would he take Solona with him?_

_ A part of Will told him to just go back to sleep and let it go. Solona's strong, she'll be able to handle anything that happened._

_ 'Still, it can't hurt to take a look,' another voice whispered._

_ Will was glad that he always wore socks to bed, the floor was very cold as he slipped out of bed himself. He ignored this, however, as he pulled on a loose robe and snuck over too the door, listened briefly for any Templar in the area, and slipped out._

_ Neither Solona nor her Templar shepard were anywhere too be seen, but Will didn't think he would take her outside. Instead, Will crept deeper into the tower._

_ 'I'll just scan the first floor,' he thought. 'Just in case.'_

_ He looked around the room that held the entrance to the basment, once again surprised at the lack of Templar. Normally there was at least one stationed…_

_ His museings were interrupted by a gasp of fear from one of the side rooms, followed by a moan of pain._

_ "Solona?" he whispered, rushing quietly over to press his ear against the door._

_ "Don't struggle," a rough voice hissed from within, followed by a thud. Solona's cry was muffled, almost as if she was unable to speak. "Just keep your mouth shut and be a good little bitch." Solona moaned again, sounding scared and miserable._

_ Will grabbed the handle, trying to open the door. He quickly realized it was locked. For a long moment, he stood outside, wondering what to do. _

_ He was spured to action by another muffled cry from Solona. Steeling himself, he smashed through the lock with telkinisis and dashed into the room. Time moved as if it were mired in mud. _

_ The Templar rose from a cot in the corner, his pale, stringy hair whipping as he spun around. Most of his armor was scattered around the foot of the cot, though Will noticed that he was still wearing his gauntlets. Solona was lying on her back, her loose robes ripped and showing glimpses of her smallcloaths. Her face was battered, and Will instinctively realized why the Templar had left the armored gloves on. She was crying, trying to speak through a wad of cloth that had been shoved between her jaws to keep her silent. As she got free from under the Templar, she pushed herself back against the wall, reaching her brusing wrist to remove the gag._

_ Will felt rage flood him as he rushed forward with a feral scream, sprinting to Templar. He was so filled with anger that it didn't matter that he was a slim, fourteen year old elf and the Templar was a massive, well-built man. All that mattered was that he had been hurting Solona, and he had to _pay_ for that. _

_ The Templar raised his hand to strike Will, but Will had so much adrenalin coursing through him that he was able to grab the Templar's arm and, with another cry, throw him against the opposite wall._

_ "You blasted…" the Templar started furiously. Will wasn't listening, too busy creating a massive ball of fire in his hands. "Don't you dare…"_

_ With another shout, Will unleashed the torrent of fire at the rising Templar. The force of his attack almost blew him off his feet, but he stood his groud, smirking as the man's scream was cut off as he inhaled fire, incinerating his lungs._

_ Finally, he released the flames, panting slightly. All that was left of the Templar was a blackened corpse laying against a cracked wall._

_ "Billy…" Solona whispered, finally working the gag out of her mouth as she rose unsteadily to her feet. "You're here… Oh Billy…" Sobbing, she fell into his arms._

_ "Shhh… It's okay. I won't let anything hurt you," Will whispered. They both jerked as they heard armored footsteps approaching. Will extracted himself from Solona's grip and placed himself between her and the door. "They will not touch you, Solona. Not while I draw breath!"_

_ Suddenly, Will felt his body tense, paralized. As he fell, a gentle force gripped him and pushed him under the cot. "No, Will," Solona whispered. "You've done your part. They're not going to hurt me, not when they've heard what happened." She patted his cheek. "Thank you."_

_ Solona rose just in time for the door to burst open. A long silence passed._

_ "Sirs… please listen to…" Solona started, but she was cut off by a furious voice._

_ "Murderer! Maleficar!" Will's eyes widened as the armored boots approached Solona. "You'll die for your sins!"_

_ "NO!" Solona cried. "Please, stop! I…" _

_ Will heard the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. "I have no intrest in your poisoned words! Die!"_

_ "Don't! I didn't!" Solona gasped, stumbling backwards as the Templar persued her ruthlessly. "Please! Stop! You don't understand! I…"_

_ A second later, Solona gasped in pain, and Will saw red liquid beginning to fall from where she stood. _

_ If Will's mouth hadn't been paralized, he would have screamed._

_ "Maybe Andraste will be interested in listening to your lies, I am not," the Templar said over the wet slurping noise of his sword sliding out of Solona's body. Will watched in shocked horror as Solona's knees hit the floor. She seemed to fall onto her side in slow motion, her eyes meeting his. _

_ Tears poared from both their eyes as they stared helplessly at each other. The Templar were talking about something in the background, but Will could think of nothing but desperately willing Solona to live, even though he knew it was useless. The spreading red stain told him that._

_ "Bi…lly…" she mouthed, blinking. Will tried to reach out, but was held back by her final spell._

_ Slowly, her warm, loving brown eyes started to dim. 'Don't die!' Will tried to scream. 'Please don't die! What would I do without you!' One final tear dripped from her eyes before she went still with a shudder._

_ A distant part of Will's mind recognized that the Templar were leaving. Even if they hadn't, he still would have crawled out from under the cot to go to Solona's side. He didn't really know how long he knelt there, staring hopelessly at his slaughtered friend. Finally, as if hoping it was simply a bad dream, he stumbled back to bed._

* * *

><p>Zelda could only stare in blank horror at William finished his story, having gone back to gazing into a small fireball. She could barely wrap her mind around what he was telling her.<p>

"It was only later that I matched names with the voices I heard that night," William said. "At first, I was filled with so much rage it was all I could do to stop myself from killing them immdiatly, especially after they were hailed as heroes for murdering Solona, as well as when that monster was moarned like a maryter. In the end, I decided that I would wait until I was absolutly sure I could get both of them."

"I don't understand," Wynne whispered. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this earlier?"

William laughed mirthlessly. "You're a smart woman, Wynne," he said. "You know as well as I do why I didn't. If I had told the Templar, the only thing they would have deigned to believe was that I was there, and only so that they would have an excuse to kill me too."

"You don't know that," Zelda said automatically, though she was starting to have her doubts.

"There was no investigation," William snarled, dropping his hands. "At no point during any discussion about the scene did anyone notice the bruises Solona had. No one remembered the fact that Solona was terrible with fire magic. There was plenty of evidence that would have thrown the pair's story into doubt if anyone had chosen to actually look at it rather than assume they were truethful." He snorted. "But of course, Templar are completely infallible, aren't they. Why should a lowly mage such as myself question their holy actions?"

"First Enchanter Irving…" Wynne started.

"Is a figurhead," William finished. "He has no real power other than what the Templar choose to give him. He put it best himself when he said that the Templar merely tolerate the existence of mages." He sighed, putting his face in his hands. "That's how the problem started. Solona wasn't a person to any of them, just a mage. It's not like anyone would care."

"Not all Templar are like that," Zelda said.

"Countless unmarked graves say otherwise, Templar," William said. "And I know what you're about to say," he cut in as she opened her mouth. "Yes, some of them were in fact blood mages and or abominations. But how many were like Solona, murdered and then framed for their own deaths?" He lit the fire again. "Well, that's my side of the story, make of it what you will."

A long, tense silence passed as the party slowly drifted apart, each silently setting up a portion of the camp. Zelda worked thoughtlessly, her attention focused on the current situation.

The first and most obvious feeling she felt was rage and disgust. To think that another Templar had been willing to _rape_ mages, treat them as less than nothing, made her sick to her stomach.

'But what if he's lying,' a quiet voice said in the back of her head. 'He has no evidence, just words.'

For a moment, Zelda clung to this line of thinking before a realization hit her: she was behaving exactly as he predicted a Templar would. She immediately assumed that he was lying, assuming that mages were in the wrong.

So who was right?

She closed her eyes, sighing. Her insticts told her that William was telling the truth, that the raw pain she had seen on his face was genuine. She realized that this was the first time she had ever seen him in real pain. Even during their battle, pain would be quickly smothered as he focused on continuing.

What should she do? Legally, she should tell Knight Commander Greagoir about what happened as soon as possible, and he would deal with the issue. But if it came to that… what would happen in the long run? Maybe the witch was right, Maker forbid. Maybe it was best… to simply stay silent. She could always speak up in the long run, for the moment, she could let things unfold.

* * *

><p>Wynne sighed as she ran her hand along the cloth of her tent, feeling a prickle in the back of her eyes. She had spent so long trying to forget about her fallen apprentice that thinking about her under normal circumstances was painful. To think that she may have been innocent was a quite a blow.<p>

Wynne had always felt that she failed Solona, but before she had felt that it was because she had not protected the girl from her own curiosity about the darker side of magic. But according to William, the failiure had come from a lack of trust in her memory.

In hindsight, it all seemd so obvious. Solona's one great block in magic was her Primal skills, a fact that had been made abundantly clear within a month of her arrival. This had always been both a blessing and a curse; she was occasionally teased for being unable to use the easiest branch of magic, but the Templar had viewed her as being more easily trusted because she lacked skill in true war magic. She had been proud to uphold the law of the Circle and the Chantry.

But Wynne had turned on her memory. Despite everything, she had blindly trusted the Templar, hadn't even bothered to think about what they had said. Much as she hated to admit it, Wynne knew William was right about one thing; mages were never trusted over Templar. Wynne had simply never given the potential consiquences of this fact.

It seemed that, when it came to Templar, Aneirin's fate had taught her nothing.

* * *

><p>Leliana watched Will sit, staring miserably into his little flame. She had watched him dig up so many negitive emotions during his story that she was impressed that he had managed to finish it. She had only given him the basics of her story with Marjolaine, and it had torn her up inside.<p>

But to see her friend, a man she cared about, sitting there, looking all but broken, was even worse.

"Will," she said gently. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't know, Leliana," Will said quietly. "I just don't know."

She watched him for a moment longer before speaking again. "I wish I could have met Solona, she sounds like she was a wonderful person."

"She was," Will said. "She never judged people… she helped people who needed it…" He looked up at her. "Wynne told you the rest of the story, didn't she?"

"Yes," Leliana said.

"I…" Will choaked slightly on his words. "I think she would have liked to meet you, too. You… remind me of her… in some ways." Leliana watched him try to school his face into a neutral expression.

"Will, you don't have to hide your feelings," she said. "Please, you've brought up a lot of negative emotions and painful memories, and suppressing them will only hurt you more in the long run. Please let me help you, like you helped me."

Will stared at her for a long moment, and Leliana feared that she had pushed him too far. However, she finally noticed a tear run down his face, followed by another.

"I miss her," he said. "I miss her so much…" Thunder barked quietly and pressed his head against Will's side.

"I know," Leliana said, placing a hand gently on Will's other sholder.

As the rest of his composier started breaking down, Leliana remembered what she had heard after her mother had died. Taking a breath, she started singing quietly.

_Hahren na melana sahlin, emma ir abela._

Will looked up at her, blinking. After a moment, his voice joined hers, reminding her that he probably knew what this song's lyrics actually meant.

_Souver'inan isala hamin, vhenan him dor'felas, in uthenera na revas. _

The two entered the refrain together. Will was still crying, but his voice was strong.

_Vir sulahn'nehn. Vir dirthera. Vir samahl la numin. Vir lath sa'vunin._

(Codex: Templar)

Often portrayed as stoic and grim, the Order of Templars was created as the martial arm of the Chantry. Armed with the ability to dispel and resist magic in addition to their formidable combat talents, the templars are uniquely qualified to act as both a foil for apostates - mages who refuse to submit to the authority of the Circle - and a first line of defense against the dark powers of blood mages and abominations.

While mages often resent the templars as symbols of the Chantry's control over magic, the people of Thedas see them as saviors and holy warriors, champions of all that is good, armed with piety enough to protect the world from the ravages of foul magic. In reality, the Chantry's militant arm looks first for skilled warriors with unshakable faith in the Maker, with a flawless moral center as a secondary concern. Templars must carry out their duty with an emotional distance, and the Order of Templars prefers soldiers with religious fervor and absolute loyalty over paragons of virtue who might question orders when it comes time to make difficult choices.

The templars' power derives from the substance lyrium, a mineral believed to be the raw element of creation. While mages use lyrium in their arcane spells and rituals, templars ingest the primordial mineral to enhance their abilities to resist and dispel magic. Lyrium use is regulated by the Chantry, but some templars suffer from lyrium addiction, the effects of which include paranoia, obsession, and dementia. Templars knowingly submit themselves to this "treatment" in the service of the Order and the Maker.

It is this sense of ruthless piety that most frightens mages when they draw the templars' attention: When the templars are sent to eliminate a possible blood mage, there is no reasoning with them, and if the templars are prepared, the mage's magic is all but useless. Driven by their faith, the templars are one of the most feared and respected forces in Thedas.

_-From _Patterns Within Form, _by Halden, First Enchanter of Starkhaven, 8:80 Blessed._

AN: I've been working on this chapter in my mind almost since the beginning of the story, and I hope I did the idea justice. Please read and review.

Should I up the rating of this to M because of the new restrictions?


	20. The Burning Cult

Reviewer Response:

Guest: Thanks for the review, it means a lot to me. I went back through the early chapters and I think I got most of the mistakes, but I'm not sure.

Orpheus Thanatos Messiah: It's a distinct possibility that Templar were originally more benevolent, thought from what I've seen it's also possible they were always meant to be oppressors, since the Chantry created them during/after the first Exalted March against the Imperium, which was based as much on fear and hate as any religious fervor. Still, the vicious cycle is a factor, no matter which side started it.

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 19: The Burning Cult

Leliana huffed in frustration as she looked around the mountain pass the party was climbing. There were certainly signs that humans had tread this path fairly recently, so the village of Haven couldn't be far, but it was still a tiring trek.

Ever since the… incident with Will, the group had seemed on the verge of breaking apart, with only the knowledge of what would happen if they failed keeping them together. To make matters worse, Will only really tolerated being around Thunder and Leliana herself, everyone else he would quickly find an excuse to get away from. Wynne had tried to talk to him several times, but she just didn't seem to be able to get through the walls he had built around himself.

Zelda and Morrigan were still only one argument away from trying to kill each other, especially since Morrigan took every opportunity to gloat about how Templar "were exactly how my mother described them." Leliana realized that Will was the only one she seemed to respect enough to listen to, at least on a long term basis. Sten and Shale were as silent as ever, and they clearly were only sticking around because of Will.

Of course, Leliana had noticed before that it was Will who kept everyone together, but it had never occurred to her just how dangerous that was. It was bad enough now, but if he were to die for some reason then the group would surely break up, and all their hard work at the Circle, Redcliffe, and the Brecilian Forest would have been for nothing.

She gritted her teeth and glared at the elf, standing on a rock a short distance up the cliff, looking around. She understood that he was still feeling horrible about the memories of Solona, and was likely second-guessing himself about Carroll, if only subconsciously, but it was still frustrating to watch the group tear itself apart like this.

"Wynne, are you sure there's nothing we can do?" she asked the elder mage. "Some trick to get him to come out of his shell?"

Wynne simply shook her head. "William is remarkably stubborn, he'll only open up when he wants to. You're doing all you can by talking to him and trying to help. He may not show it, but I think that means a lot to him." Leliana nodded sadly.

"I guess," she said. "I should probably go try again,"

"Good luck, Leliana," Wynne said as Leliana climbed higher, finally catching up with Will. He glanced at her for a moment before nodding, indicating that he was listening to her.

"Will, I don't think all of us should go into Haven," she said carefully. He studied her curiously.

"Why not? After the stunt they pulled with Weylon…"

"We don't know if that was them," Leliana said. "It could have been someone else." She raised a hand as Will opened his mouth. "I know, it's not exactly likely, but better to be sure than accidently spook innocent people, right?"

"… Fine," Will said after a long moment. "You, Thunder and myself should be able to…"

"I think Alistair and Zelda should come too," Leliana said wearily. As expected, this didn't go over well.

"I don't think that's necessary." His voice wasn't exactly angry, but there was a warning note in it. Leliana ignored it, however, he had to get over this hostility.

"Living in the shadow of the Ashes, it's likely that these people are strict Andrastians," Leliana explained. "Templar would probably be able to set them at ease."

"I don't know about that," Will said coolly. "Nowhere in the Chant of Light is the Templar order ever mentioned, they are a later construct."

"They may not be mentioned by name, but there are several references that are likely the origins of the Order." She smiled slightly at the confused look on Will's face. "Will, I may not have been the best Sister ever, but I do know the Chant fairly well. Besides, more help isn't a bad thing. Shale and Sten will probably scare them and Wynne's getting on in years, she probably shouldn't be climbing too much higher. It's getting cold already."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Will said, forcing a smile onto his face. "Just Alistair, we don't need both of them."

"Will, Zelda hasn't done anything," Leliana said. "The nine of us are the only people in Ferelden who have a chance of gathering the treaties and turning back the Blight, but we can't do it if we don't work together."

Will simply stared at her for a long moment before shrugging. "Whoever wants to come can, I don't care." He turned to leave, but Leliana put a hand on his shoulder.

"Will, you're our leader," she said. "I know there have been some tensions, but we all still respect you. Alistair's still beating himself up over not going into the Circle Tower with you. Morrigan, Sten, and Shale wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you, and despite what you might think, Zelda and Wynne feel bad about not trusting you. We're still with you."

Will didn't respond, but he didn't jerk his shoulder out of her grip like she feared he might. After a long moment, she let go and moved to walk next to him.

Morrigan chose to return at that moment, swooping from the sky in her hawk form and transforming. She had been driven to put on a long cloak by the falling temperature, something that still made her a bit hard to recognize at a glance.

"Warden," she said, glancing at Leliana with a slight sneer. "The village 'tis not far from here, we should reach it soon."

Will nodded sharply and continued on. Leliana shook her head, remember that just a few days ago he would have turned to yell to the others that they were almost there. He probably would have called a halt so that they could make some plan about what to do when they reached Haven. Now, he just lowered his head and walked on.

"What did you say to him this time?" Morrigan asked, watching Will clamber up onto a rock. "He seems to be in a bad mood again."

Leliana felt her temper flare, but forced it down. "We were simply discussing who would actually go into Haven," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. She had never particularly liked the witch, but right now the group needed every bit of unity they could muster.

"Let me guess, you suggested that he take yourself and the Templar with him," Morrigan drawled, her eyes hard.

"I know what you're insinuating, Morrigan, and it's not like that," Leliana shot back. "There's no need to fear, we're all on the same side."

"So you Chantry people keep saying, but clearly you're words are not worth that much…"

"Finish that sentence at your peril, witch," Zelda said coldly as she arrived. "I have no intention of harming the Warden. You, however, are a different matter."

Leliana immediately stepped between the two. "Will's conflicted enough without you two at each other's throats," she growled. "So I'm going to ask you both to respectfully _shut up_ and keep walking."

"Fine," Morrigan said. "But know this, I'm going to be flying with you into the village. I may not show myself to them, but attack William, and you'll have more than one mage to contend with." She immediately transformed and flew away before either Leliana or Zelda could retaliate.

"Maker grant me patience," Leliana sighed, looking after Will. He had paused to watch the argument, but turned to continue on when he caught Leliana's eye.

Sighing again, Leliana turned to head down the path to find the others, praying she could convince Sten and Shale to stay behind without Will's help.

* * *

><p>Will sat cross-legged on a large stone at the bottom of a series of steps leading up to the village. He could distantly hear people moving around up there, as well as the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him. He didn't hear the deep booming of Shale's steps, so it seemed that Leliana had managed to convince the golem to stay behind at least.<p>

He truly didn't care who chose to accompany him into the village; it shouldn't be a hard task to get to the Ashes. According to Morrigan, it was only a small village, maybe a hundred people; given the right terrain, he could probably defeat that many himself.

In fact, it was only out of respect for Leliana's nerves that he hadn't gone ahead into the village himself. He didn't know why he cared about her feelings so damn much, but he couldn't bring himself to deliberately worry her like that.

Besides, Thunder was sitting a short distance down the path, clearly refusing to move until the others arrived.

Finally, he caught sight of armor flashing down the path. Soon, Leliana, Zelda, Alistair, and Sten arrived, looking slightly out of breath. He also noticed Morrigan flying overhead as a hawk. He briefly considered asking the Qunari to back off, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Besides, he remained convinced that the people of the village were the ones who had killed Weylon, and likely Brother Genitivi too.

"How can you just sit there like that?" Alistair huffed when the group arrived. "Aren't you freezing now that you're not moving?"

"The armor's magically sealed," Will said as he stood. "Arcane Warriors were expected to be able to function in any temperature at any time." He didn't wait for Alistair response before turning and heading up the stairs into Haven.

As the group stepped into the lower square, people dressed in heavy cloths started backing away, looking nervous at the sight of them. After a moment, a trio of armored men walked over, their hands placed clearly on their weapons in warning

"Whoever you are, you're not welcome in Haven," the leader said, his voice rough and gravely. Something seemed… off… about all of them, but Will dismissed it.

"We're here looking for a Brother Genitivi," he said. The leader's eyes flashed for a moment before he smoothed his face into a neutral expression.

"We don't know anyone by that name, and even if we did, it's no business of yours. Leave."

"I'm afraid this is too important to simply drop," Will shot back, starting to get frustrated. "Is there someone I can talk to so that we can try and get this sorted out?"

The guard opened his mouth to refuse, but an older woman stepped forward. "Father Eirik might speak with them."

"Goodwife…" the guard started before the woman interrupted him again.

"We should get this settled quickly. Father Eirik should know."

Something about this set Will on edge, but he didn't let any sign of it show as the guard slowly nodded and turned back to him.

"Very well, we will take you to the Chantry at the top of the hill, Father Eirik will be able to answer your questions." He stepped aside, gesturing Will to go first.

"Thank you," Will said.

The trip up to the Chantry was short but tense. The three guards refused all attempts by Leliana and Alistair to draw them into conversation, insisting that Father Eirik would answer their questions.

Every instinct in Will's body was telling him that there was something wrong here, and judging by their tense silence that punctuated the weak attempts at conversation, the others agreed.

It was clear that the guard hadn't been telling the truth about Brother Genitivi, which indicated that they had something to do with his disappearance. But to what end? Was it a desire to keep the Ashes from the rest of the world, or was there something more sinister going on?

The people they passed did nothing to help Will's nerves. None spoke, they simply stared as the group passed. When he glanced back, Will noticed that they would start clustering, whispering to each other.

Finally, the party arrived at the Chantry, which despite it's age looked almost identical to every other Chantry in Thedas. As the guard pushed open the door, Will thought he heard raised voices from the rest of the village, but ignored them for the moment.

"Why do you bring outsiders?" a tall man asked coolly as he rose from behind the alter at the head of the Chantry, his thick robes hanging around his feet. Another guard stood behind him, having already drawn a massive maul from over his shoulder. Behind Will, he heard the sound of a lock clicking into place, further setting him on edge.

"They seek Brother Genitivi, Father Eirik," the head guard said, his voice dark with anger. Father Eirik looked up, his eyes narrowed.

"There is nothing to find here, outsider. I demand that you leave Haven at once, you're kind is not wanted here."

"Not until you tell me what is actually going on," Will shot back. "Your men are horrible liars. You know where Brother Genitivi is." The priest sighed.

"Very well, outsider. You will not live to taint this place." He gestured the guards to draw their weapons, which they did.

"I don't recommend underestimating us," Will said coolly as he drew Spellweaver. "Tell me where Brother Genitivi is."

The nearest guard responded by swinging his ax towards Will's head, roaring in rage. Will brought Spellweaver up to block, but was sent reeling by the sheer force of the blow. This ordinary looking man, maybe a bit larger than the average human, was almost as strong as a Darkspawn Alpha.

Alistair, Sten, and Zelda met the other three guards, but were also having problems. Alistair's shield had been badly dented by a vicious blow from a mace, and he was being driven back. Zelda, meanwhile, had opened her opponent's gut, but the blow that would normally be fatal seemed to merely make the man angry, as he was pushing with even greater fury. Sten had also wounded his opponent, but was being driven back by the vicious enemy.

Will shook his head, bringing his attention back to the first guard, who was preparing to strike again. This time Will used a tilted Arcane Shield to cause the man to stumble by him before slashing his side hard enough to reveal his ribs. The guard responded by bringing his shielded around to smash Will in the face, knocking him back a few steps.

"Enough!" Will muttered, lashing out with a wave of fire to engulf his enemy. As the flames parted, however, he was stunned to realize that the man was almost completely unharmed, though his armor was smoking, some of the rings having even melted.

"The breath of Our Lady holds no danger for the faithful!" he roared as he charged again, raising his ax for a savage overhead blow.

"What the fuck are you?!" Will cried as he ducked to one side, ramming his sword up to the hilt into the man's stomach. He simply started trying to hit Will with his shield until Will withdrew Spellweaver. "You should be dead!"

"We who have drunk of the blood of Our Lady are invincible!"

Alistair cried out in pain as a particularly vicious blow from the mace dislocated his shoulder, causing him to stumble back. The guard leered triumphantly as he raised his weapon for a death blow, revealing six or seven arrows sticking out of him.

He stopped suddenly, blinking. Leliana had fired one last arrow, piercing his temple and sticking out the other end. Slowly, his mace and shield slid from his hands and he toppled to the floor, dead at long last.

"So your heads are your weak points," Will said grimly as he gripped Spellweaver, The remaining guards let out feral screams as they charged again, their eyes shining with bloodlust.

Will feigned right before spinning left, bringing his sword around in a tight arc to take his opponent's head off. Zelda, meanwhile, ducked behind her shield and rammed Faithful into the man's chest before drawing her slim knife and stabbing it through the man's ear. Sten simply brought Asala down, slicing through the shaft of the maul and carving the man's helm, and head, in half.

"Impressive," Father Eirik said quietly, having drawn a staff from somewhere. "You managed to kill some of the Faithful, a task that hasn't been accomplished in many years. But you will never survive the wrath of the entire village. They are coming, you know. You will suffer for you're transgressions."

"Perhaps," Will said, raising his blade. "But you will not live to see it, unless you tell us where Brother Genitivi is." Father Eirik simply laughed.

"Are you truly so foolish to believe that we fear death?" he said, raising his staff. "We bear the favor of Andraste herself! No matter how many times our mortal forms fail, she will call us back to serve her! When you die, however, she will turn her gaze from you, damning you to suffer for eternity!"

"Andraste is at the Maker's side, fool!" Zelda snarled. "And it is people like you that she despised, driven mad by whatever dark power you've allowed into your body and soul!"

"You know nothing!" Father Eirik screamed, his eyes blazing like the guards as he pointed the staff at her. "You dare sully the name of Andraste! You will suffer in her fires!" With that, he launched a massive wave of magical flames at Zelda, which she was forced to duck behind her shield to survive.

Will retaliated with an Arcane Bolt, but it was brushed aside by the crazy mage, as were the arrows Leliana shot. He laughed as Zelda used Holy Smite on him, despite the fact that it had broken his shield and let an Arcane Bolt through, tearing a chunk out of his chest. His flaming magic continued to rage around the Chantry, setting pews and shelves alight. The man was clearly barking mad.

Suddenly, a wave of ice came from an alcove, causing the mage to begin thrashing horribly. Finally, he toppled to the floor, pierced by dozens of icicles.

"Another corpse for the pile," Morrigan said as she stepped out, looking pleased with herself. "Really, that was so easy you shouldn't have needed my help."

"How nice of you to show up," Alistair ground out as Leliana rushed over to help him wrench his shoulder back into place. "What took you so long?"

"Since the main door was locked, I had to find another way in," the witch said casually. "Warden, I think you should know that the entire village has mobilized and is preparing themselves to attack. They should be here any minute now."

"Do you think they're all like these… people?" Will asked, gesturing around.

"In all likelihood," Morrigan said. "Unless I'm much mistaken, which is unlikely, these are Reavers: people who have drunk of the blood of dragons."

"I've never heard of them," Zelda said.

"'Tis not surprising, since dragons were almost hunted to extinction, Reavers became very rare. Mother knows much about dragons, so she's aware of them."

"Are there any weaknesses we can use to beat them?" Leliana asked.

"Cold," Morrigan said simply, gesturing at the mage's body. After a moment, she elaborated. "As part of their bond with the dragons, Reavers gain resistance to heat, as I'm sure you realized. This means, however, that they are easily hurt by cold. Reavers also become driven by hate, and thus are less likely to plan their attacks." Morrigan shrugged. "Still, we're going to have our work cut out for us, there's a lot of very strong warriors coming. It doesn't help that Alistair here managed to get himself hurt."

"Ice, you say?" Will said, nodding. "I may prefer fire, but I can use ice as well, and I know that's your best element. That, along with aiming for the head, should allow us to hold out, especially if we can prevent them from getting to us somehow."

"We could freeze the stairs," Zelda said, looking over at the steps leading to the balcony. "That should slow them down enough so that the mages and Leliana can thin their numbers out."

They were interrupted by a banging on the door, punctured first by inquisitive, then rage-filled shouts.

"Come on, we don't have much time!" Leliana said. Alistair was nudged up the stairs by Thunder, followed by Leliana, Sten, and Zelda. Morrigan gestured him to follow, and after a moment he complied. The witch followed close behind, her staff tracing itself along the stairs to give them a thick, slippery coating of ice. She also somehow managed to add sharpened blades jutting out, just to make any attempt to walk up the stairs more painful and dangerous.

The pair had just managed to clamber over the table Zelda had set up as a barrier when the doors to the Chantry splintered, expelling a screaming mass of hate.

Fortunately, the vast majority of the Reavers were unarmored and wielded rough tools as weapons rather than proper blades. Even more fortunately, there were no more mages.

Three enemy archers raised their bows towards Will's group at the top of the stairs, but two were quickly killed by ice and the third by an arrow between the eyes. This alerted the rest of the hoard to the party's presence, causing them to begin their charge up the slippery steps.

"There's just so many of them…" Leliana whispered as she continued to shoot arrows.

"Numbers mean nothing right now," Zelda said as the Reavers continued to trip over themselves, slipping and sliding up the stairs. One almost made it, but Zelda simply reached out and shoved him back with her shield. "My question is why are they still here, they can't possibly win."

"Didn't you listen to anything I said?" Morrigan asked as she continued freezing enemies. "Only a strong will can keep their minds when they become Reavers. These fools are literally too stupid to realize that they can't win."

"Less talking, more killing," Will growled as he froze another Reaver solid before shattering her with a Crushing Prison. If even a single Reaver got over the barricade, they would be able to distract the group long enough for others to arrive, spelling disaster.

After nearly an hour of steady fighting, the last Reaver finally fell. The party was panting, especially the two mages, but they carefully made their way down the stairs (after Will melted the remaining ice,) and checked the bodies to make sure they were really dead.

"Are we sure these were all Reavers?" Leliana asked, tilting the head of one of the enemies; he couldn't have been older than sixteen.

"Even if they weren't, they attacked us," Morrigan said dismissively. "And they were certainly too stupid to think of anything other than charging us, which means they were, in fact, Reavers." She smirked at Leliana. "Surely you can't be feeling guilty about all this?"

"Shut up," Leliana muttered as she closed the teenager's eyes.

"We need to find Brother Genitivi," Zelda said when they were done. He'll know more about what's going on around here."

'Assuming he's still alive,' Will thought sourly as he looked around the Chantry. "Split up, but stay alert," he snapped as he walked over to the nearest door and pushed it open, looking for any signs of life.

Instead, he found the remains of a number of armored figures. After a moment, he recognized the crest of the Redcliffe knights. They smelled like they had been here for days… if not weeks, just rotting. Any guilt Will might have felt about killing the Reavers faded at the sight of these bodies.

"Everyone! I found him!" Leliana shouted from somewhere on the second floor. Will immediately jumped to his feet and rushed towards the sound of her voice, hoping someone would be able to explain what was going on here.

When he arrived, the former bard was propping an older, balding man up while Zelda wrapped a poultice around his arm.

"Much obliged," Brother Genitive groaned, his eyes flicking from person to person. "Though I must say I am surprised to see Templar here, I was under the impression that the Chantry thought I was wasting my time."

"We're not with the Chantry," Will said coldly, moving to crouch in front of the brother. "We came because of Arl Eamon."

"The Arl?" Brother Genitivi said, sounding confused. "What would he want with me? Or the Urn?"

"So you've found it?" Zelda asked, sounding both stunned and slightly skeptical. Genitivi chuckled weakly before coughing.

"Well, I haven't seen it, but I know it's in the temple at the top of the mountain," he said once he had cleared his throat. "That's one of the few things I figured out before the people here locked me up. Claimed I was 'Defying the will of Our Lady Andraste,' or some such nonsense."

"To get back to your question, we need it to cure Arl Eamon," Will said.

"The Arl's sick?" Brother Genitivi said, blinking, "and someone felt they needed the Urn to save him?" He shook his head. "And who are you? You're too strong to be simple hirelings…"

"We're Grey Wardens," Alistair said from his positioning by the door. "We need Arl Eamon's help to stop Loghain from destroying the country."

"Grey Wardens…" Brother Genitivi breathed, his eyes wide. "And Teyrn Loghain… What do you mean? He was the man who helped King Maric _free_ Ferelden! Why would he destroy it!?"

"Paranoia and arrogance," Will said. "A Blight is coming, but Loghain believes that the Orlesians and Grey Wardens are the real threat, so he betrayed the King at Ostagar and poisoned Arl Eamon."

"That is…" Brother Genitivi whispered. Finally, he shook his head. "Look, can we just focus on finding the Urn? That's why we're all here."

"Of course," Zelda said, glancing at Will before turning her attention back to Brother Genitivi. "Before we go, one last question. Why didn't they just kill you?"

"They were trying to find out who else I had told about Haven," Brother Genitivi chuckled weakly. "The truth is, I left so quickly I didn't tell anyone, but they refused to believe me. Probably saved my life."

"Can you walk?" Leliana asked as the brother tried to push himself to his feet. He nodded, though he winced when he took his first step towards the door. Will hissed in frustration and breathed the incantation for Heal under his breath to boost the spell so as to heal injuries beyond the ones he could see. Otherwise the man would just slow them down.

As the group left the room, Brother Genitivi gagged at the sight of the pile of bodies. "Did you really have to kill all of them?" he asked, trying not to look.

"Yes," Morrigan said.

Brother Genitivi shook his head. "Well, if you're sure…" He looked over at the alter were Father Eirik lay. "Before we go, we need something from him."

"What?" Alistair asked as he made his way over.

"He has a medallion that we need to enter the temple," Brother Genitivi called. "It's gold with blue trim." After a moment of digging, Alistair held up the medallion. "Yes, that's it." Brother Genitivi looked around again. "Now, what are we going to do about… this…"

"I'll handle it," Will said, looking around. The building was stone, but there was enough wood around to make this work. "You lot go on, I'll catch up."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Will turned back from the path he was jogging up to look at the Chantry. Black smoke was starting to drift out of the windows, and every now and then he caught sight of a flicker of flame. After a few moments, he turned and continued after the rest of the group.<p>

As expected, they were moving slowly because of Brother Genitivi, who was currently being supported by Zelda. Everyone glanced at him as he arrived, but none commented.

As the group continued up the mountain, the temperature continued to fall and snow started appearing on the stones around them. The path, however, was relatively clear, indicating that it was regularly traveled. Several hard minutes later, Will caught sight of massive stone walls through the mist, chipped with age, but still radiating strength.

"This is it," Brother Genitivi breathed, gazing at the door. "Years and years of work… I thought I might never reach this moment…" Finally shaking himself, he continued forward, fumbling with the medallion. "Now how did this work again… Ah, there it is!" He held it up, revealing a key.

"I've never seen anything like this," Leliana said as Brother Genitivi inserted the key into the door.

"I found one much like it at an earlier tomb, so I knew what it was when I saw Eirik holding it. It was an old Andrastian security measure that was abandoned after Kordillus Drakon made it the official religion of the Orlesian Empire." He leaned his shoulder against the door, but it didn't budge. "Um, a little help here…"

Sten stepped forward and casually shoved the door, causing it to bang against the wall. Everyone stared at him.

"What?"

Brother Genitivi finally shook his head and entered the old temple, gazing longingly around the massive entrance hall.

"Oh, what I would have given to see this place in its former glory," he breathed. "It's still magnificent, but it's just not the same…"

"Are there any other Reavers up here?" Will asked. Brother Genitivi jerked, he had clearly been absorbed with the ruin.

"Yes, there will be. Eirik described an 'honor guard,' led by his superior, Father Kolgrim. Apparently, they are chosen from the strongest of the villagers, so you should be careful."

"You aren't coming with us?" Alistair asked, causing Brother Genitivi to laugh warmly.

"I'll just slow you down," he said. "No, I think it's best if I stay here, let you five get on with finding the Urn." He held out the key. "I'll see if I can learn anything from these carvings."

"Someone should stay with you," Leliana said, glancing at Will. He shrugged and looked around the area, considering which of the many doors would be the best to take.

"I will," Alistair said. Thunder glanced at Will before huffing and nudging his master's leg, nodding towards Alistair. Will slowly nodded, and the mabari trotted over to stand with Alistair and Brother Genitivi.

"Alright," Brother Genitivi said, rubbing his hands together. "May the Maker watch over you." With that, he turned to go into a side chamber, followed by Alistair and Thunder.

"Well, let's go," Zelda said, looking at Will for a moment before quickly turning her gaze to the grand staircase. Leliana simply sighed as the group walked up the sweeping stairs. The door at the top was, predictably, locked.

Will rolled his eyes as he pulled the Rod of Fire from a pouch on his armor. 'Why can nothing ever just be simple?' he thought. 'Whatever god or gods there are must have a sadistic streak.'

"I'd almost forgotten you had that," Leliana said, trying to sound cheerful and dispel the tension in the air. "We haven't needed it for a while." Will simply shrugged as the blade of fire melted the thick iron lock in seconds.

A roar of rage echoed down the corridor as Will pushed the door open, and a trio of Reavers rushed the group. Unlike the villagers, or even the guards, these warriors were wearing heavy, well-made armor and, more importantly, strong helmets. They also wore heavy cloaks that kept natural cold out.

Unfortunately for them, no mere cloth could withstand the deep, soul-chillingly cold ice that Morrigan spewed from the end of her staff, sending two of the Reavers to the rough stone floor. Will met the last one, their swords meeting. Spellweaver notched the rough blade of his opponent deeply enough to keep them stuck together for a few seconds, seconds that Leliana used to put an arrow through the Reaver's faceplate.

"FOR ANDRASTE!" Several more Reavers burst out of two other doors along the wall. Sten and Morrigan turned left while Zelda, Will, and Leliana wheeled right.

"These guys never learn, do they?" Will growled as he flash-froze one with a Winter's Grasp before blocking a pair of daggers with a shield. As the woman wielding them stumbled, he smashed Spellweaver's pommel into her face to stagger her back before brining the crackling blade arc, taking her head off. Zelda fought more defensively, using her shield to fend off blows from two of the Reavers while Leliana picked off the stragglers. A quick glance assured Will that Sten and Morrigan were doing perfectly fine. He moved to help Zelda dispatch the remaining Reaver.

"They may not be particularly smart fighters," Zelda said quietly as she rubbed her shield arm. "But they sure do pack a punch."

Will ignored her, turning to continue along the central path, which he hoped would lead to the Ashes so the party could get out of this nightmare.

As he reached the end of the hall, however, he heard the sound of scales scraping on stone. A moment later, the door in front of him started smoking, as if a great inferno was burning it from the other side.

"Is that… what I think it is?" Leliana whispered as she drew her bow.

Finally, the door crumbled into ash, the warped metal bending as it hit the floor. On the other side of the hazy door stood a massive shape, almost to big to fit in the corridor they were standing in. The smoke cleared as the creature snorted, beady eyes glaring hatefully from a dark, spiky face. Flames licked the inside of its mouth as it roared.

"DRAGON!" Zelda cried, raising her shield.

"No, just a drake," Will said, nodding towards blackened scales along the male's back, where a female dragon would have had wings.

Leliana laughed weakly. "Oh, just a drake! Just a massive, flame-breathing monster that has scales harder than stone! _Just a drake_!"

The drake roared again as it forced its way through the door, rearing its head back. Will caught sight of flames rolling within the beast's mouth and brought a shield up just in time to keep the group from being roasted.

"We cannot fight this creature here!" Sten called. "We must draw it into the open so that we can use our superior numbers to surround it."

Will kept his eyes on the beast, his shield unwavering even under the blistering stream of fire spewing from its mouth. He backed up, listening to the clanking of armor as the rest of the group retreated. The drake stopped breathing fire, glaring at Will as the elf lowered his shield, raising Spellweaver into a loose guard.

Roaring, the dark creature rushed at Will, moving far faster and more gracefully than its large size indicated. Will paused long enough for the drake to take a snap at him before dodging back and bringing his sword up in a two-handed slash. The tough scales took the worst of the blow, but blood did start leaking from the wound in the beast's face, causing it to stumble back.

Will took the opportunity to take several long steps backwards, getting out of the corridor and onto the open balcony where the others were already spreading out.

As the drake stepped out of the door, Leliana started pelting it with arrows, though most bounced off the thick scales, and the few that came near its eyes were deflected by rapid blinks. The attacks served to annoy the drake, however, as it turned its attention from Will to Leliana.

This gave Sten the time he needed to wind up a massive swing from Asala, bringing the jagged blade down on the drake's back. Unfortunately, the blade didn't cut deep enough to do any damage to the iron like bones of the spine, and Sten was tossed away by a flick of the massive tail.

Morrigan's ice didn't have as much of an effect on a true dragonkin than a Reaver, but she was able to get the dragon to look away from Sten long enough for the Qunari to clamber back to his feet. Will and Zelda were circling around, trying to find a weak point. Zelda tried to widen the injury Sten had opened, but her longsword wasn't able to do as much damage as the greatsword, and she was swatted aside as well.

All these distractions had given Will time to get behind the drake, and after a running leap, he landed on the back. Before the male dragon could even begin to respond, he stabbed Spellweaver down, piercing the injury and penetrating about a half-inch into the hardened spine. While not enough to cause much damage on its own, Will took the opportunity to activate all the lightning runes, sending a massive jolt of electricity through the drake's nerve system. Shrieking in agony, the beast fell; its extremities twitching as the lightning overwhelmed its system.

Before it could regain control of its body, Sten had taken two long steps forward, hacking at the neck with Asala. Three massive blows later, he finally severed the spine, killing the drake.

"Whew," Leliana said, slipping Marjolain's old bow back over her shoulder before starting to gather as many arrows as she could. "I hope we don't meet another one of those things,"

"Oh, we will," Morrigan said, smirking. "Dragons rarely have only one drake in attendance, especially one old and intelligent enough to recognize how useful human servants can be. There will be several more at least."

"Wonderful," Leliana groaned. "Just lovely."

"Would the drakes spend time near one another?" Will asked, turning his eyes to Morrigan.

She shrugged. "Unlikely, drakes rarely associate unless they are competing for the female's attention." Morrigan gestured towards the dead body. There were several scars, injuries given by either tooth or claw. It seemed that this drake had been forced to fight its own kind recently. "This one was likely driven away, defeated by one of the others."

"So we shouldn't have to face more than one at a time, that's something," Leliana said, sounding slightly relieved.

The group stepped over the corpse and made their way back down the hall and through the door it had come from. After carefully making sure not to injure themselves on the destroyed door, they looked around the room the drake had come from.

There were the fresh corpses of several Reavers lying along one wall of the round room, probably slain in rage by the drake. A bonfire was burning in the center, and there were the remains of their last meal.

"Drake did our work for us," Zelda said, nudging one of the bodies, grimacing as the torn leg fell away from the rest of the body. Even Morrigan, who was normally so desensitized to violence and death, found her lips curling at the sight of the drake's rampage.

Will glanced between the two doors out of the room. Located on opposite sides of the room from each other, the only difference between them was that one was smashed, likely by the same drake that had caused the rest of the damage.

"Let's head the way the drake came," he said finally, nodding to the shattered door. "Hopefully it leads towards the Urn." There was a general mutter of consent as the group passed through the door and carried on.

Another trio of Reavers met them, these ones having somehow avoided attracting the drake's ire, but were quickly dispatched by Will and Morrigan's ice. The corridor seemed at first to be looping back through the rest of the temple, but a set of stairs led upwards to another corridor leading towards the rest of the mountain. Another door, battered yet still intact, hid the path beyond.

"Wow," Leliana whispered as the group made their way through. They were now in a massive, natural cavern. "The ancient Andrastians must have found this place and decided to use the beauty the Maker had given," she breathed.

Morrigan rolled her eyes, "Or they were simply too lazy to do more work than they had to," she snorted. Leliana and Zelda glowered at her and was about to respond when a series of hisses echoed throughout the stone chamber.

Nine dragonlings, ranging from the size of a small Orlesian dog to a Mabari, were looking up from various nests and meals, snarling at the intruders. Around them lay several other un-hatched eggs.

"Do you think this is all of the young?" Sten rumbled as the dragonlings dashed forwards, small puffs of fire flashing in the mouths of the older ones.

"'Tis unlikely, mother dragons spread their eggs out into several clutches, so that, even as the dragonlings start to kill each other to establish dominance, there will be more than one survivor." Morrigan said, glancing up as five Reavers entered the cavern, obviously attracted by the cries of the young dragons. "Lovely, more of them."

Fortunately, the one mage among the Reavers was quickly shot by Leliana; first in the chest to stun him and then in the head to kill. This left the others far behind the charging dragonlings. Will, Zelda, and Sten met them head on, their long blades giving them the reach to quickly slay the youngest. The older two, however, were using their weak fire-breath to try and hurt the team and kept out of sword reach. Morrigan froze one solid while Will held out his hand towards another, wrapping the ethereal bands of a Crushing Prison around it before slowly grinding it into a past of blood and shattered bones.

They didn't have a moment to relax, however, as the Reavers had arrived. Their heavy helms had stopped Leliana from killing them as quickly or easily as the mage. One was lagging, however, as she dragged one of her legs due to the three arrows sticking out of her knee.

Will's opponent chose to wield two weapons, a dagger and a nasty-looking axe, and attacked with the same blind fury as any other Reaver. Still, though she was as strong as Will, she was nowhere near as fast, and after several seconds he was able to cut one arm off at the elbow and get at her head through the gap, killing her.

Sten had simply used his superior reach to cut off both the legs of his enemy, then raising his blade and stabbing it down through the fallen Reaver's head. Zelda had met her opponent shield first, using his own momentum to throw him over her shoulder, and before he could move Leliana had put an arrow through his helmet. Meanwhile, the lagger had been frozen by Morrigan; toppling and shattering against the rough stone ground.

After a few moments, Will started to step forward, only to be interrupted by a roar. From the passage the Reavers had come out of appeared another drake, this one even larger than the first. It's golden eyes blazed as it beheld the slaughter of the young dragons. Its roar became, if anything, even more filled with wrath. What was worse, it was answered by another roar.

"What's going on?" Zelda whispered as another drake appeared from a different passage, studying the first. After a few moments, the two stepped forward together, roaring at the intruders.

"They must have decided that we are a greater threat," Morrigan said, a trace of fear causing her voice to shake. "It seems they are setting aside their own quarrel until we are dead."

"I thought you said that they wouldn't work together!?" Leliana wailed as the drakes charged.

"I said it was unlikely, not impossible!" Morrigan hissed, her ice doing little to slow the charging beasts.

Suddenly, one stopped, a shining dome forming around it. Will lowered Spellweaver. "That Force Field will hold that one back until we can kill the other," he said grimly.

The drake inside the Force Field, meanwhile, was breathing fire on the offending barrier. Seeing that it was having no effect, it slowly reared back, forming fists with its front legs.

BOOM!

The blow it dealt the spell echoed throughout the cavern. Will glanced up from the shield he was maintaining against the other drake's flames to see a series of small, hair-line cracks running through the force field.

"Impossible…" he whispered as the drake reared back again.

BOOM!

The cracks were growing more pronounced. The drake's cries could now be heard through the formerly sound-proof barrier. It reared once more.

SMASH!

With a sound like breaking glass, the Force Field shattered, and the drake continued forward towards the battle.

"You all deal with that one!" Will called desperately. "I'll keep this one busy!" He hit the first drake with a bolt of ice to get its attention before leading it away.

The beast, having been wounded by Sten, was already in a rage. A fireball flashed by Will, close enough for him to feel the heat. He turned in time to deflect anther with Spellweaver, sending it into a nearby stalagmite. The large spire creaked, causing Will to have a sudden, desperate idea.

The drake charge, shifting direction as Will dashed to stand in front of the damaged stone. Blinded by its rage, the male dragon picked up speed and smashed into the stalagmite when Will rolled out of the way.

Unfortunately, this did not cause it to break and fall like Will had been hoping, instead simply making the drake even angrier. Its tail whipped out almost faster than the eye could track, shattering Will's hasty shield and throwing him across the room.

The others, meanwhile, were using the same strategy against this drake as they had against the first. One would get the beast's attention, giving the others time to injure it as badly as they could. First, Leliana had shot it at point blank range with a bodkin arrow, piercing its tough armor and causing it to let out a cry of pain. Just as it was about to roast her with its flaming breath, she had flickered out of sight and Sten had tried to cut its head off. Turning against the Qunari, the drake had managed a blow against him, leaving a deep scratch in his heavy armor. However, this had given Morrigan time to unleash a torrent of ice and lightning, causing the drake to shriek in agony. It turned on her in time for Zelda to strike the wound Sten had given it.

This dance continued until Leliana finally appeared, shooting a broadtiped arrow into the space between two rock-hard vertebrae, severing the central nerve. The drake collapsed, it's body thrashing. After a few moments, it finally lay still.

Will, meanwhile, was still dodging the furious drake. After a few passes, he was able to lead it back to the visibly unsteady stalagmite.

"This time," he muttered, watching the drake charge again, thanking the gods that the male dragon's rage was making it so stupid and sloppy. Dodging again, he reached back with his telekinesis and pulled.

The drake slammed into the stalagmite, finally breaking it. Before it could react, it was crushed beneath the falling stone. It struggled for a minute to lift itself out of the rubble before finally falling unconscious. It would eventually die.

Will started panting, stabbing Spellweaver into the ground so that he had something to lean on for a moment.

"Will! Are you alright?" Leliana asked, running over to him. He nodded wearily.

"Yeah, just tired. What about you?"

Leliana opened her mouth, but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"So you are the ones who have disturbed our Lady's companions and slaughtered our brothers and sisters!" a tall, bearded man roared, striding into the cavern. His armor glinted in the embers of the fires the drakes had set with their breath, indicating that it was silverite rather than steel. The haft of an ax or great maul could be seen over his shoulder, and his eyes seethed with barely contained rage. Several more Reavers stood behind him, but he gestured them back every time they tried to step past him. "I am Father Kolgrim, and you shall go no further until you answer my questions, outsider! Why have you come here?"

"We want to see the Ashes of Andraste," Will said carefully after a moment's consideration. "We simply defended ourselves when we were attacked."

Kolgrim stroked his beard, the hate in his eyes fading to a more manageable level. "The Ashes, you say," he called. "We have no need for those relics, not when we serve the Risen Andraste."

"Your people keep saying that," Leliana said. "But what do you mean? Andraste died, everyone knows that."

"She died, yes," Kolgrim shouted. "But she returned to we the faithful in a form more radiant than you can imagine, though you have seen shadows of it already."

"A dragon," Will said. Kolgrim snarled.

"She is more than a dragon! More than even the cursed Old Gods the Tevinter worshiped. She is the True Power, True Beauty of this earth! Nothing can stand against her might!"

"A high dragon," Morrigan breathed. Will remembered reading of those ancient creatures. Rare and devastating, High Dragons were the massive creatures of legend. Easily able to devastate small armies if they so chose, they thankfully remained hidden most of their lives, relying on other methods of retrieving food.

The Dragon Age had gotten its name because of a high dragon, which had risen when the species was believed extinct. In fact, it had come from this mountain range, though it had been seen farther north, near the River Dane. Perhaps this was even the same dragon.

Still, Will was not interested in tangling with a high dragon. "Well," he said. "Since you don't need the Ashes, you wouldn't mind if we take some, would you?" he asked. Zelda, standing next to him, opened her mouth, but Will glared at her: this wasn't the time for zealotry.

"Hmmmm," Kolgrim said. "Perhaps there is a way you can be forgiven for your transgressions, outsider. If you want the ashes anyways…"

"What do you mean?" Will asked slowly.

"The Ashes do exactly one thing as far as we are concerned," Kolgrim said. "They bind some of Our Lady's power. However, there is a way to free her." He slowly stepped forward. "If a vial of Our Lady's blood is poured into the ashes, she will be able to absorb the power she left in there. Finally, she can be all she was meant to be."

Will paled. Though the Arcane Warriors were not Blood Mages, they did have an understanding that blood carried power, even when it left the body. If the Ashes were in fact powerful enough to heal any wound, giving a High Dragon that kind of power could lead to devastation.

"You can't be considering this!" Zelda hissed, glaring at Will. "Warden… this is madness! These lunatics cannot be allowed to damage the Ashes, if these are the true remains of Andraste!"

"She's right, Will," Leliana said urgently. "Please, I beg you, don't do this!"

Will glanced at Morrigan, expecting the witch to be all for defiling a relic of the Chantry she hated so much. However, she seemed to be thinking along the same lines as himself: while not a religious imperative, giving that kind of power to a creature that was already so strong and cruel was a Very. Bad. Idea.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Will asked, ignoring the stunned looks from the others. He had to try and pump Kolgrim for as much information as he could about what defended the Ashes.

"There is a spiritual guardian, and he knows the Disciples," Kolgrim said, looking annoyed at the audacity of the spirit. "He will not let us near the ashes, but you… If he believes you to be a pilgrim, he will let you through. What you will face beyond that, I do not know."

"I am afraid I cannot accept your barging, but I will offer one of my own," Will said, causing Zelda and Leliana to sigh in relief behind him. "Stand aside, you and all the Reavers, and we will not harm you. Let us get what we came for, and we will leave in peace, and never disturb you or your decedents again."

Kolgrim's face contorted in fury as he listened to Will's words. As the young Arcane Warrior finished, he drew the battle-ax from over his shoulder. "Andraste saw fit to grant you mercy, and you slapped that aside? You are truly a heretic and a fool, and we will end your existence here and now! Come, my brothers, for the fallen! For Andraste, may she grant us victory!

Seven Reavers charged, howling their battle cries as they came. Will brought Spellweaver up, casting a Winter's Grasp on Kolgrim. A rune on his armor flashed, however, meaning it was resistant to magic.

Leliana had hampered one of the Reavers with a few arrows to the legs before being forced to drop her bow and grab her daggers to help Zelda deal with two more. Morrigan, meanwhile, killed one of the lesser Reavers with ice before transforming into a hawk to find a position where she could cast in safety.

Sten met two others, Asala taking the head of one's maul off before the Reaver could react before knocking him over with a smash from the pommel. He then turned his attention to the second, their swords meeting in an almighty clash.

Will only barely noticed these things, keeping his eyes on Father Kolgrim. The man was approaching at a more measured pace, and he seemed to be studying Will's form. This was clearly one of the strong-willed Reavers Morrigan had warned of; one that was able to curb his bloodlust and keep his head in a fight. This would be a greater challenge than any other person Will had faced in these caves.

"You cannot hope to withstand the faithful," he growled as he made his first swing, which Will leaned back to avoid. His counter-stroke was caught on a metal portion of the haft. "Even should you kill us all, more will arise, and they shall seek vengeance."

"Every time, it has been your people who have sought battle. I would have been quite happy to leave you with your Andraste if you had simply let us go to the Urn." Will shot back as another of his spells splashed off Kolgrim's resistant armor.

"And then what? If we let you through, should we let the others that would follow? Should we simply bow as our Lady was driven off by the fearful, those who could not understand her? No, we will defend her from all threats!"

'Stubborn zealot…' Will thought grimly as he shoved the Reaver back, only to be hit by the pommel of the axe. He swayed to avoid another swing before stepping in, finally scoring a slash across Kolgrim's breastplate. Unfortunately, he had missed the rune he had been aiming for, so the anti-magic field would still be up.

Still, his blow had managed to rattle the Reaver, as his swings were becoming angrier, and Will was finding it easier to dodge. Still, he knew even one hit would likely carve through even his armor.

However, it seemed that Kolgrim hadn't noticed that the steel blocking area of the haft was getting badly scarred by Spellweaver's silverite blade. Finally, Will was able to cut through the weakened metal, breaking the weapon in half.

Normally, this would have forced the opponent to either surrender or die, but it seemed Kolgrim knew how to deal with this. Flipping his now bisected weapon into both hands, using the bottom to block while attacking with the axe head. Will blocked the axe only to be smacked in the side of the face by the makeshift mace.

Quickly ducking under another strike, Will's sword flicked out again, cutting another scar through the armor. This time, he was able to disrupt the armor rune before being knocked back by the back swing. Rolling onto his back, Will cast Winter's Grasp.

Kolgrim hissed in pain as the cold assaulted his draconic blood, His face turned blue, but he continued forward, abandoning the bottom half of his axe to once again raise the head with both hands. Will cast another ice spell, but Kolgrim kept coming, his hate overcoming even the fatal cold.

Just as he was about to bring the weapon down, an arrow struck him between the eyes. For a moment, it looked like even that wouldn't stop the Reaver leader, but slowly, he fell backwards, dead at last. The axe fell, clattering to the ground next to Will's head.

"Will! Are you alright?" Leliana cried, rushing over to help Will to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Will said. "Thanks."

Leliana smiled warmly. "Anytime, Will."

Will looked around; it seemed the others had finished their battles while he had been fighting with Kolgrim, and none of them seemed badly injured. Morrigan had returned from wherever she had been casting from while Zelda and Sten carefully wiped the blood off their blades.

"I must admit, you had me worried when you seemed to be cooperating with Kolgrim," Zelda said quietly, really meeting Will's eyes for the first time in days.

Will's eyes narrowed. "I was simply trying to find out what we might be up against in the temple itself."

"We know, Will, we know," Leliana said soothingly, stepping carefully between the pair. "You just surprised us a bit." Morrigan looked like she was about to say something biting, but for some reason she simply rolled her eyes and snorted under her breath.

Will's eyes flicked between the various members of the group before shaking his head and walking towards the passage where all the problems had come from.

They walked through the cave, noticing the slope, it wouldn't be long before they reached the top of the mountain.

On the way, they found several more clusters of dragon eggs, along with the already hatched dragonlings. Still, it seemed that all the Reavers had been killed, so the young dragons couldn't hope to match the party. Finally, they reached the exit of the caverns onto a large, snow-covered plateau.

"I wonder where the dragon is?" Morrigan said, poking her head out and looking around.

As if to answer question, a massive roar echoed throughout the area, shaking some stones loose. Then, a majestic sight rose from a valley on the other side of the mountain.

The high dragon was truly enormous. Larger than some houses, she spread wings that could have acted as rafts to glide around her nesting area, carefully coming to rest on a cliff across the rift from the group. It looked like a small forest had been ripped up to provide the material for a nest, which hopefully meant that she was going to sleep for a while and wouldn't bother the group.

"…Let's not fight that thing, huh?" Zelda said, her voice shaking slightly. No one voiced any disagreement, and they carefully made their way across the ground. While open, there were several old ruins that they used as cover to avoid being spotted. Fortunately, the dragon didn't seem particularly interested in anything other than it's nap.

After passing through a small pass, the group finally caught sight of the central temple of the Urn. A rough, stone building, it still somehow had a strange, almost magical sense. There was something here, something beyond the mortal realm.

Will had always been doubtful of the presence of gods, but something about this place gave him pause. And it didn't seem to be just him. Leliana's eyes were wide, while Zelda seemed to be praying under her breath. Sten's eyes were narrowed, and even Morrigan looked like she was confused, even a little frightened.

"Well, let's go," Will said, nodding towards the door. It was unlocked, and when opened, a strange mist seemed to hover at the entrance.

"I… believe I'll stay outside," Morrigan said, and it was clear that she was ruthlessly suppressing the shake in her voice. "I have no interest in seeing the interior of this silly shrine."

"Your loss…" Leliana whispered, stunned by the strange aura of the area.

Finally, the rest of the group stepped through to.

The door slammed shut.

AN: Hope you don't mind the cliffhanger. It shouldn't be too long before the next chapter, since I actually had it about half done when I realized that it would make this one too long.


	21. You Are Not Alone

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Review Response:

george7: I'm glad you think so. I really do wish more people would review the story.

Chapter 20: You Are Not Alone

Loghain ran a hand through his hair as he listened to Rendon Howe explain his most recent campaign. "I was making progress until Bann Erikson flanked my forces, declaring his allegiance with the rebels. Fortunately, my army was able to fall back with minimal casualties, and the next battle ended more favorably. Still, I'll need reinforcements before I can move further into Dragon's Peak. I'm… so glad, you saw reason on our funding issue."

Loghain felt a stirring of disgust in his heart as he thought about what was probably beginning in the Alianage, but he forced his attention to other matters. "Has there been any word of the Wardens?" he asked grimly.

"Well… no," Howe said, his voice cautious. Loghain's temper had been becoming shorter and shorter as this pointless resistance continued, making any bad news extremely unwelcome. "However, I do have a plan."

"Do enlighten me, Howe," Loghain grumbled, wondering how many assassins the man would send out this time.

As if reading his mind, Howe spoke quickly. "The time for outside forces has ended, my lord," he said. "No, we'll have to send proper soldiers this time." Loghain opened his mouth to point out that they simply couldn't _afford_ to have a team of crack troops traipsing aimlessly around the countryside, but Howe continued. "As for finding them, I spoke to one of my mages to see if their magic held any answers."

"And…" Loghain said, his thoughts racing.

"And the answer is quite simple. The mages cannot track the Wardens, but the Templar can." Howe's smile widened. "It seems that one of the Wardens used to be a member of the Circle of Magi, and thus has a phylactery here in Denerim."

"I doubt that the Templar will be willing to simply had such a thing over to us," Loghain growled. 'Especially if they're taking their cues from Orlais, like they were during the war.'

"Well, I never said that we would _ask_ them for it," Howe said, smiling. "In fact…" he glanced around, as if to make sure that no one was listening. This caused Loghain to scoff, if there was a spy listening, Howe had already basically admitted considering theft from the Chantry. "I have already acquired the phylactery of one William Surana, leader of the Wardens."

Loghain felt the blood drain from his face. "You didn't think to inform me of this _before_ you acted?" Loghain said, his voice hard.

"The opportunity presented itself, and had I waited, the Templar might have discovered the flaw in their defense." Howe's eyes hardened. "Besides, the Warden has wronged me _personally_. He murdered my son."

Loghain nodded, he remembered when news had come from Highever about the death of Thomas Howe. He had never seen Rendon Howe that angry.

"Very well," he conceded. "See it done. However, in the future you are to _inform_ me before making a decision of this magnitude."

Howe bowed before turning on his heel and marching out of the room. Loghain leaned back in his chair, rubbing his weary eyes.

"I need a drink," he muttered, before cursing as he remembered how hard wine was to come by these days, as he diverted more and more gold towards the war effort. He would have to do without for a while longer.

Heaving himself out of his seat, he decided to go see how his daughter was doing; he hadn't spoken to her in a while. He quickly made his way through the palace, nodding to the various guards he met on the way. Finally, knocked on the door to the antechamber of the Royal Quarters.

"Come in, Father," Anora called from within.

Blinking, Loghain stepped in, "How did you know it was me?" he asked. Anora gave a small smile as she looked up from the scroll she had been studying.

"If it had been anyone else, the guards would have knocked for you," she said. Her eyes hardened slightly as she studied him. "What's wrong, Father?"

"Whatever do you mean, Anora?" Loghain said. Anora shook her head.

"Your face, Father. I'd be surprised if anyone didn't know something was bothering you. Besides, you only come here when you want to talk to me in private, something you usually do when the rest of the world is driving you crazy"

Loghain chuckled. "As observant as ever, dear," he said. "To answer your question… What do you think of Howe?"

"The man is a snake, and I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Anora said immediately. "What has he done this time?"

"You're better off not knowing," Loghain said. Anora sighed.

"Really, Father, I still think it's a horrible idea to keep him around. He's far to concerned with how far he can advance his own agenda, and not interested enough in the good of Fereldan." Loghain nodded wearily.

"I know, Anora, I know," he said. "However, he is one of my strongest allies. I need him to stabilize Fereldan."

"Still, I think it would be better to find a different ally, one that is less likely to stab you in the back when it's most convenient for him."

"But is there anyone else?" Loghain asked. "At least Howe is predicable: he wishes to advance himself, first and foremost. So long as I can continue to predict which decisions his ambition will drive him towards, I can stay one step ahead of him."

Anora sighed as she looked back at her paper. "I pray that you are right, Father. I pray you are right."

* * *

><p>Zelda spun around at the sound of the door booming shut, her hand flying to Faithful's hilt. So caught up in the closing door, it took her a moment to realize that she was alone.<p>

"Leliana? William? …Sten?" Zelda said, looking around wildly. No one answered her.

"Welcome, young Templar," a quiet voice said behind her. Turning, she saw an armored figure, pale and transparent. Its armor was old, and had an open faceplate. His face was open, calm, and accepting, a graying beard showing age and experience.

"Who… are you?" Zelda whispered, her hand falling back to her side.

The figure chuckled slightly. "I am the Guardian, Zelda Cousland," he said, "Long have I waited for the faithful to come to honor Andraste."

"So the Urn is here?" Zelda said. "But where are the others?"

"They are here, but not here," The Guardian said, smiling mysteriously. "To them, their reality is the only one, just as to you, you're reality is the only one."

"Are we in the Fade?" Zelda asked warily.

"No."

After a moment, Zelda asked. "What must I do now?"

"Seek the Urn, through the Gauntlet, young Templar." The Guardian said. "First you shall face a Trial, and then you shall go through a Meeting. If you can withstand this, then you shall reach the Urn, and be reunited with your friends."

"Very well, Guardian," Zelda said, nodding. "What is the Trial?"

"You'll see, young Templar, you'll see," the Guardian said, smiling again. "But first, a question, if you do not mind."

"Go ahead," Zelda said.

"Many years ago, you left your family home. Recently, you returned to find it sacked, your family murdered." Zelda's breath left her lungs in a hiss at the figure's words. "Did you fail your family, Zelda Cousland?"

"I… I don't know…" Zelda whispered.

"There are many branches of fate and time, each influenced by the choices we made," the Guardian continued coolly. "Did your decision to leave your family doom them to die?"

"…No," Zelda said finally. "If I had stayed, there would have been nothing I could have done. I wish I had sought to reconcile with them sooner, but my leaving was not the cause of their death."

The Guardian nodded, smiling again. "You speak logic and reason, but the heart does not always feel such things. No matter, you may pass."

Zelda stepped past the Guardian and through the door, still shaking slightly. She walked into another misty room. After the door had close, the mist cleared, revealing a stunning sight.

A forest clearing greeted her, like any of the dozens in Fereldan. Her attention was quickly drawn to a pair of figures near the center: one armored man lying on the ground and another, wearing robes, kneeling over him.

"Come on, come on, hold, damnit!" the kneeling mage muttered, light playing across his hands as he waved them over the fallen soldier, which Zelda realized was a Templar with a deep rent in his armor. "Why isn't this working?!"

A sudden sound came from the other side of the forest, and Zelda tried to move forward to help somehow, but her feet were held firm.

The mage looked up. "I don't have time for this," he murmured, his voice somehow carrying all the way to where Zelda was standing. Reaching back, he grabbed a knife from his belt.

"What…" Zelda breathed, her eyes widening.

Clenching his teeth, the mage drew a quick slash across his arm, causing blood to well up. His eyes shone a dim red as the liquid rose in a mist before laying itself across the wound, closing it at last. The Templar's ragged breath smoothed, and he seemed to sleep peacefully.

Blood magic.

"Hold, maleficar!" Zelda called, her legs working again as she sprinted forward, drawing her weapons. At that moment, she wasn't in the ruins of a holy temple, she was simply a Templar faced with her natural enemy.

Jumping, the mage looked up from healing his own injury. His eyes were wide and fearful.

"This… this isn't what it looks like!" he babbled, "I had no other choice! He would have died!"

"Blood magic is _never_ an option!" Zelda snarled. "Besides, that cursed magic cannot heal, only destroy."

"It can heal!" the mage said, pointing. "I just proved it! It can heal better than any magic, since it is born of life! If you would just understand…"

"My orders are clear, maleficar. No mercy for those who defy the Maker's most basic law." Zelda said, taking a step forward.

"_Though we were shown nothing, we shall show restraint, for the Maker exists for all_!" the mage shouted, holding his hands up. "That's in the Chant of Light!"

Zelda did recognize the line, but it had always been a minor point, one overshadowed by clear mandates like 'They shall be named Maleficar,' and 'They shall find no rest in this world.' She raised her sword slowly.

'But is it so clear cut?' a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. 'You have seen that, sometimes, there are shades of grey.'

Zelda hesitated. The mage was offering no resistance, simply crying quietly as he stared pleadingly at her.

She had been drilled for this moment, prepared for it, told that when it came, that she could show no mercy. But still, she hesitated.

"_I could do nothing_," William's voice whispered, anger and hurt burning in every word. "_All I could do was lay under the cot and watch her get murdered_."

"_All men are the work of our Maker_…"

Faithful fell slowly back to her side. Zelda stepped around the mage and crouched next to the Templar, still keeping an eye on the mage for any deceit. The wound was in fact gone, though it had clearly been quite deep from the amount of blood staining the leather under-armor. Pulling the man's eyes open, she saw that it was a simple, human brown.

"Can I… go…" the mage whispered.

"No," Zelda said, swallowing her pride. "Remain here, watch over this Templar. Your life hinges on his. If he is still alive, then I won't mention your use of blood magic. If he is not…" Zelda left the threat hanging.

The mist returned, and when it faded, Zelda was standing in an empty room.

"Well done, Zelda Cousland," the Guardian said, appearing out of nowhere. "Sometimes, doctrine cannot be allowed to overcome truth. You have passed your Trial, now continue to your meeting." With that, he vanished again.

Zelda took a breath before stepping towards the next door. Her eyes widened as she beheld the next room she walked into. It was one she hadn't seen in nine years.

As she stepped shakily into the armory of Highever Castle, she felt herself shaking. Memories, both good and bad, came rushing back. Before she could gather herself, a light cough came from her left. Spinning, she saw an older woman watching quietly, a soft smile on her face.

"Mother…" Zelda breathed, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

"My little girl," Eleanor Cousland said, holding her arms out as she stepped forward. "It's been far too long."

Zelda felt tears prick at her eyes as she ran forward, embracing her mother. Sobbing, she was barely able to choke out "Mom… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Eleanor hummed quietly, rubbing Zelda's back. "Hush now, dear," she breathed into her daughter's ear. "There is no need for tears here."

"But… I left you…" Zelda whimpered, pressing her face into her mother's shoulder. "I abandoned you…"

"I was not blameless in the matter, sweetheart," Eleanor said, pulling back enough to look Zelda in the eye. "I never trusted you enough to tell you why I was doing what I did. I forgot that you had only ever heard of the glory of war, fighting for a noble cause that you believe in." She smiled sadly.

"Should I have stayed?" Zelda whispered.

"That, my dear girl, is a difficult question, and one that I cannot truly answer. Only you can decide whether the good that came from your joining the Templar was worth the pain." As Zelda opened her mouth, Eleanor shushed her gently. "I can, however, give my opinion."

She took a deep breath. "It is often said that everything happens for a reason, that the Maker moves in mysterious ways. You're right in saying that, if you had stayed, you would have been killed by Howe's men. Leaving saved your life, allowing the Cousland line to live on." Zelda nodded slowly. "And then there's the affect you've had during the Blight. Your strength has aided William and the rest of the team many times. It is possible that, without you, they might not have survived Kinloch, let alone the other challenges they have faced."

"So… you think it was worth it?" Zelda asked. Eleanor nodded.

"As I said, I cannot make your decision for you, but yes, my daughter, I believe it was worth it." She gently placed her hand under her daughter's chin. "And I am so, so proud of you, Zelda. Despite the hardship you have face, you have stayed true to yourself. Rather than blindly follow what you have been told, you are willing to make hard choices. There are too many zealots in the world already."

The pair stood in silence for a time before Zelda slowly pulled away. "I… I should go. My role is not finished here." She felt a tear leak from her eye.

"Yes, dear," Eleanor said. "But before you go, I have something for you." She pulled a silver pendant out of a pouch on her belt. It was a beautiful thing, stamped with the Cousland crest. Written around the edge of one side were the words 'Forge your own path.' "Please, keep this in memory of your father and I. You may be the last of the Cousland family on Thedas, but we watch over you still."

"Yes, mother," Zelda said, gently taking the pendant and putting it around her neck.

The room was filled with a mist.

* * *

><p>Leliana's daggers left her sheath within seconds of the door slamming behind her. She also noticed immediately that everyone else had vanished.<p>

"What's going on? Will, where are you?" she muttered to herself, spinning slowly in place so as to scan the room. Coincidently, she was facing the door further into the ruin when a mysterious figure appeared.

"Sister Leliana Marila, I bid you welcome," the see-through man said, stepping forward in his clinking armor.

"Where is everyone?" Leliana immediately demanded, dropping into a slight crouch. The figure smiled.

"Protective and caring as ever, I see," he said. "Do not worry, they are safe, and making their way deeper, where you will all be reunited. I am the Guardian, and I shall be watching you all."

"How did this happen?" Leliana asked, looking around again.

"The Urn has irrevocably changed this place," the Guardian said. "To gain access to it, you must pass through the Gauntlet, which consists of a Trial and a Meeting. If you wish to see the others again, you must withstand that Gauntlet." He raised a hand. "But before you go, a question, if I may?"

"Sure," Leliana said.

The Guardian's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You claim that the Maker spoke to you, an honor that only one before has had. Do you claim to be equal to Andraste? Or did you have an alternative motive?"

"What do you mean?" Leliana asked slowly.

"When you were a Bard, you were respected. In Lothering, you were one of many." His meaning was clear.

"You think that I… I just made it up!?" Leliana asked, her face flushing. "I do believe that the Maker sent that dream. For what purpose, I do not know, but I have faith that he sent it for a reason."

The Guardian smiled. "Your faith is noted." He stepped aside from the door. "You may pass to your Trial, Leliana Marila. May the Maker guide your path."

Taking a breath, Leliana stepped through the door into the mist. As it cleared, she found herself in a room much like the one she had left. There were two human shapes, though they did not have faces, and seemed to be comprised of smoke.

"Only one of the doors will lead you on," the Guardian whispered, standing beside Leliana. "One of the shapes before you is lying, the other is truthful, and you may only ask one question. Chose your question wisely." With that, the Guardian stepped back.

Leliana gaped at the pair. She hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been this. Looking between the two, she tried to distinguish them in any way, but it was impossible. Several times, she opened her mouth to ask a question, only to realize that it wouldn't solve their problem.

'What do I do?' she thought desperately. Her eyes flicked from one shape to another, then finally to the Guardian.

Suddenly, the answer became clear.

"Which door leads me on?" she asked the Guardian deliberately.

The Guardian smiled broadly. "The left one," he said simply. "Well done. Though there are those in this world that will hide among the truthful, seeking to deceive you, the Maker's light will always shine through." He bowed his head. "You may proceed."

The shapes vanished, leaving Leliana free to go on.

A warm fire crackled under the mantle of an opulent room. A large armchair was sitting in front of the flames, and Leliana could see a hand from her position.

"Come in, dear, and close the door," a grandmotherly voice said. "These old bones can't handle too much cold."

"Lady Cecila…" Leliana whispered, making her way into the room. She hadn't set foot in this room for so long…

"Leliana, dear," Lady Cecila said. "It's so good to see you again."

"I… but… how…" Leliana asked, causing the old woman to chuckle.

"My dear, this is the Gauntlet, the final room before the Urn of Sacred Ashes. Surely you don't think that the normal rules apply here." Her eyes twinkled as she studied the red-haired girl. "Come closer, dear, let me touch you."

Leliana meekly obeyed, holding out a hand carefully. Lady Cecilia gently took it in both her own, rubbing it.

"There is strength in these hands," she breathed, her eyes closed. "Strength, and pain as well." She smiled sadly, looking up at Leliana again. "Much has happened since we last spoke."

"I…" Leliana said, not sure what to say. Standing here, she remembered every sin, every terrible thing she had done as a Bard. She started to look away.

"Don't dear," Lady Cecila whispered. "You need not hid from me."

"But I…" Leliana started, but a squeeze on her hands silenced her.

"Yes, you have done things that I would have preferred you didn't. If I had known in life that you would become a Bard, I would have never let you anywhere near the Arts." She smiled. "That is not, however, because I am disappointed in you."

As Leliana blinked, Lady Cecilia laughed. "Dear, I would have stopped you because I know how that game ends. I have seen dozens of Bards die, and I didn't want that for a sweet girl like you. But you've surprised me. Trials that would have broken other women; betrayal, torture, pain, you survived these things. Survived, and become stronger for it."

"What do you mean?" Leliana asked.

Lady Cecilia chuckled again. "My dear, you know exactly what I mean," she said. "Rather than give in to despair or hate, you moved on, letting your gentle nature shine through the masks you created. And then, you went further, willingly putting yourself at risk to aid complete strangers. No matter what dreams you had, that took courage." Her smile then became teasing. "And then, despite the betrayal that resulted the last time you opened your heart, you were willing to love again, though I must say you made a far better choice this time."

"L…Lady Cecilia!" Leliana cried, blushing.

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of, dear," the old woman said, laughing again. "He's a good boy, if a bit high-strung. I think he needs you."

"What do you mean?" Leliana asked.

"He cares about you to, you know. You're the only one he can confide in, the one he allows through his barriers. Take care of him, dear, won't you?"

Leliana smiled. "I will, as much as he'll let me."

"I wouldn't worry about that, dear. The Gauntlet is enough to shake even the most solid barriers." Lady Cecilia glanced up. "Leliana, it has been wonderful speaking to you again, but I think it's time for you to go on, your friends need you. But I have a gift for you before you go."

Letting go of Leliana's hand, Lady Cecilia picked up a small box that had been lying on the table beside her. She offered it to Leliana, who opened it. Inside lay a golden insignia, round with leaves around the edge. In the center was a shining sun.

"Listen to your heart…" Leliana whispered, reading the words around the edge.

"…for it will guide you onwards," Lady Cecilia finished as the mist engulfed the room.

* * *

><p>Sten stood stock-still as the door closed. He did not call out for his disappearing allies, mealy braced himself for the inevitable attack.<p>

When the armored ghost arrived, Sten's eyes narrowed, his hands tightening around Asala's grip.

"Be at ease, Sten Ari-Tor," the figure said in perfect Qunari. Sten's eyes widened, he hadn't heard that name in a long, long time. "Your surprise is well founded," the pale warrior said, smiling. "I see many things, and know many secrets. I am the Guardian."

"Where is my kadan?" Sten growled, his purple eyes narrowing.

"As close as a breath, yet as far as can be. To find him, you must go on," the Guardian said.

"Then I shall go on," Sten said without hesitation.

"Yes, but first, I must ask a question. When you came to this land, you killed an entire family, and were called a monster because of it." The Guardian took a breath. "Do you consider it a failure that you have presented the Qunari in such a light?" Sten nodded.

"I have never denied that I failed."

The Guardian bowed his head. "You speak wisdom, child of Par Vollen, and show a desire to repent. Go on, and face your Trial and your Meeting. May your Role be well lived, Sten."

"And yours, Guardian," Sten said automatically. He stepped through the door that the Guardian had been blocking.

As the mist cleared from the room, Sten found himself facing a dark, bloodstained image of himself across a house he knew all too well: the bodies of the family he had slaughtered scattered through the room. Sten narrowed his eyes grimly as he raised Asala, ready to cut down this dark doppelganger.

No words were spoken as the pair came together, their blades meeting again and again.

Sten quickly realized that they were perfectly matched, unsurprising, since this test seemed to be against himself. Even when he sought to exploit known flaws in his technique, his other half was able to defend itself.

Sten took a long step back to assess the situation, and was surprised when the doppelganger did the same. After a few quick tests, he realized that it would always do some variation on whatever he did.

Defeating it in battle would not be an option, since it _was _him. No, he would have to surmount this challenge by some other method.

He watched the other Sten quietly, watching its motions. Every time he tried to step past it, it would move to block him, but did not seek to engage. It clearly wanted something from him, but what?

"What is it you seek?" he asked. The figure paused before making a sound that Sten had only heard once before: from a Serabaas. A quick examination confirmed that its lips were sewn together.

Meanwhile, the figure had been pointing around at the various bodies. It took Sten a minute to realize what it wanted.

"They have not been laid to rest?" he asked, and the figure nodded. Though the Qunari did not pay any particular reverence to the body after the soul had departed, there was a prayer that would allow the soul to move on. Bowing his head, Sten intoned the words.

As he did so, the darkness clouding the figure opposite him fade away, briefly leaving a pure, uninjured reflection of Sten. It then vanished along with the room.

"The past can be a great teacher," the Guardian said quietly as he appeared again, "but it does not do to dwell on it so much that you forget to look forward. You have your soul and your purpose, Sten." With those words, the Guardian vanished, leaving Sten to continue onwards.

As he stepped through the door, his eyes were drawn to the massive figure standing perfectly still in the center, easily a head taller than Sten. Heavy red pieces of shoulder armor did little to hide the muscular figure, nor the twin hilts, each of which was attached to a weapon would have been considered impossible to wield by bas. Enormous horns adorned the figure's head, giving him a strong profile.

Sten inclined his head. "Arishock," he said reverently.

"Sten of the Berassad," the Arishock spoke, his voice rumbling as he advanced. Most would have retreated from the sight of the giant approaching, but Sten stood firm before the leader of the Antaam. He knew that the Arishock was not here in flesh, but his duty to respect his superior still applied. "Your mission is not yet complete."

"It is not, Arishock, and I must pass through this room to finish."

The larger Qunari nodded slowly. "Do you waver in your convictions?"

"No," Sten said proudly.

"Then all is as it should be," the Arishok said, "Complete your mission, Sten, and then return to Par Vollen. Victory is in the Qun."

"By your will, Arishock. Victory is in the Qun." Sten said. As the room faded, a small weight appeared around Sten's neck, and when he looked down, he saw a small pendant, forged of steel, bearing the Mark of Koslun and the words "Asit tal-eb": "It is to be."

* * *

><p>Will sensed a flash of magic as he stepped through the door, but before he could do so much as open his mouth, the door had already shut, and the others had vanished.<p>

Narrowing his eyes, Will attempted to summon his magic and break through whatever illusion this place had lain upon the area, but he quickly realized that it was powered by something so far beyond him that it wasn't even worth trying.

The energy of the temple surged for a moment, and Will watched a ghostly figure arise from the ground. A shield formed itself between the pair at Will's command; if the temple wanted to kill him, he wasn't going down without a fight.

"Welcome, William Surana," the avatar of the temple said, his voice gentle. "You need not fear me, lower your magic."

Will simply watched the figure. "Then why separate us?" he asked.

"It was necessary so as to properly test you, to see if you are truly worthy of beholding the Ashes of Andraste," the avatar said. "And before you say anything, yes I know why you have come, and what you denied to get here."

"Who are you?" Will asked warily, lowering the shield.

"I am the Guardian, and I have waited for this day for a long time, for the people Andraste fought for to make their way to her remains."

"So, what is it you've planned for us, that you needed to split us up?"

"The four of you have such different backgrounds, so many various trials, I could not formulate one Gauntlet that would accurately test you all. Thus, I separated you, so that you each might prove yourself worthy." He studied Will. "Are you ready to face the Gauntlet?"

"Do I have a choice?" Will asked.

"You always have a choice, William Surana," the Guardian said gently. "Choice defines us, makes us all who we are." He cocked his head. "A question, if you do not mind?" Will nodded,

"Seven years ago, your world shattered around you. You watched the girl you had come to love die in front of you." Will's breath caught as the Guardian spoke. "But she died because the Templar believed that she had killed one of their own, a man you had killed in vengeance. What if you had acted differently?" His ghostly eyes pierced Will. "Do you believe that it is your fault that Solona Amell died?"

Will's eyes widened as a chill passed through him. He tried to open his mouth to say something, anything, but it was all he could do to move it.

He had never allowed himself to think about what might have been, it had been just too painful. Instead, he had focused his efforts on moving forward, avenging Solona. Now that the deed was done, he had felt those snaking questions trying to worm their way into his mind, but he had been able to shut them out, turning his attention forward again.

One simple question tore through even that last defense.

After a minute of silence, the Guardian spoke again. "It seems I have agitated you more that I intended, and for that, I am sorry." He stepped aside, "Please, proceed." With that, he vanished.

Will didn't believe for a second that the Guardian hadn't intended to cause the pain that he now felt. The bastard was clearly omniscient, he couldn't have not known.

Finally, after a few minutes, Will was able to force himself forward, passing through the door that the Guardian had vacated, stepping into a thick mist. After a few moments, it cleared.

Will was standing on one side of what looked like a massive portcullis, which stretched the entire length of the room. He distantly noted that there were anti-magic runes carved all along the barrier, preventing any magic from going through it. Most of his attention, however, was taken up by what was on the other side.

On one side of the room, to Will's right, was a stone table. On the table lay a gem much like the one Legalos the Arcane Warrior had resided in before Will freed him. Above it hung a flat slab of metal, which looked more than heavy enough to crush the gem where it lay.

On the other side, however, a gallows had been set up, and an all too familiar person was waiting to be hung upon it.

"SOLONA!" Will called, rushing forward and pressing his hands against the metal grate. Though he didn't notice it, at the time, a wave of magic drove the fact that she was already dead from his mind. She was gagged, her eyes wide and pleading as she stared at Will.

"Yours is the terrible burden of leadership, William Surana," the Guardian whispered, appearing on the other side of the portcullis. "But you have yet to truly feel it."

"Let her go!" Will snarled, turning his blazing eyes on the Guardian.

"I cannot do that, William Surana," the Guardian said sadly. "Only you can choose, and the choice is a grave one."

Before Will could shout at him again, the avatar of the temple pointed to the stone table. "That gem is the only thing that will allow you to succeed in your quest to end the Blight. Without it, all of Fereldan is doomed to be corrupted or destroyed, and there will be no one to blame but yourself." He nodded to Solona. "I don't believe I need to tell you what your dear friend represents."

The air around Will started to catch fire; such was the depth of his rage. "_Let. Her. Go._" he growled again.

"When I said I could not, I meant that literally, young Warden." The Guardian stepped over to the gallows, waving his hand through the rope that was ready to strangle the girl. She didn't react to the spirit's approach, keeping her eyes on Will. "I cannot affect anything in this room."

He pointed to the sides of the area Will was trapped in. There were two leavers, one on either side. "Both those devices will raise the portcullis. However, the one on your right will also release the slab above the item you need, destroying it. The other, of course, will activate the gallows."

He bowed his head, moving to stand in the exact center of the room. "You can only save one, William Surana. Will you rescue the girl you love? Or will you move on to save all of Fereldan, perhaps all of Thedas, but leave her to die?" He faded from sight, throwing out one last challenge. "The choice… is yours alone."

Will stared in helpless frustration, his breath coming in ragged gasps. How was he supposed to make that kind of choice! How could he kill Solona, even if it meant saving everyone else?

He looked around his prison, desperate for some sort of inspiration. There had to be an answer… there had to be a way to save both…

The portcullis was warded against magic for the entire length, so he couldn't simply melt through it. He tried to stick his hand through, but a great weariness gripped him, forcing him to pull it back out.

He slowly turned to look at the levers, first one and then the other. How was he supposed to choose?

A soft clunking noise echoed through the room, and Will turned to see Solona hopping slightly, probably trying to get his attention.

"Just… stay there, Solona," Will called softly, trying to sound calmer than he actually felt. "I'll figure something out."

The raven-haired girl shook her head as much as she could despite her noose before jerking her head towards her hands, which were bound in front of her. Will was about to ask why she didn't simply loosen the rope before he noticed the wooden bars holding her arms straight.

She was using the same sign language that he had used to tell Anders his plan back at Kinloch Hold, which felt like years ago. Will focused, hope rising. Solona must have a plan; she had been here longer than Will had…

"Kill… me…" he whispered, blinking in shock at what she was telling him to do.

"I…" he whispered. Solona shook her head again.

"It's my time," she signed. "One life cannot compare to the lives of every man, woman, and child in Fereldan. Please, for me, go on. They need you more than I do."

"Please don't ask this of me, Solona…" Will whispered. "I…"

Solona smiled sadly, a single tear trailing down her face. "Please, Will. This is my choice, not yours. Please…" Will felt his eyes start to water, though he couldn't bring himself to care. Solona was asking him to kill her.

Slowly, he turned and walked left, still trying to force himself to take his eyes off Solona. She was crying too, but she nodded, egging him on. Silently damning the Guardian to the deepest pits of the Abyss, Will studied the lever in front of him.

As he glared at the stick, he hated everything about it, from the metal capping the stick to whatever mechanism connected it to the gallows…

Suddenly, Will had a spark of inspiration. Looking at the rocks between the portcullis and the lever, he saw that they were loose. Grabbing the one closest to the device, he pulled it out to find two bars, connected to one another, running from the lever.

Careful not to disturb either of them (not sure witch one did which job,) Will removed stone after stone until, finally, he reached the portcullis. One veered off, likely leading to the mechanism to raise the door, while the other continued on straight towards Solona. He glanced up, smiling at the shocked expression on her face.

He looked at the lever again. It was a push lever, which meant that, when it shifted position, it would push the wood that had previously been under the stone, tripping some mechanism or activating a spell by way of crystal transfer, causing both the door to rise and the gallows to activate. That meant that he simply had to keep the portcullis stick intact while sabotaging the gallows one.

Of course, there was an element of risk to this, so he carefully went to the end, where the two veered off, and with great delicacy, used his Rod of Fire to slice from the edge of the one that led to Solona.

Once it became clear that there wasn't a continuous spell running through a crystal or lyrium matrix in the center of the wood, Will got a firm grip on the wood on Solona's side of the cut with telekinesis, to make sure that nothing happened when he finished cutting. After a moment, he sliced through the rest of the wood, waiting to see if anything happened. Nothing did.

He looked up at Solona, his thoughts racing. No matter what he did, he couldn't be absolutely certain that his plan would work. The two could cross again on the other side, he could be damaging the part that opened the portcullis, and he wouldn't know until it was too late.

"It's worth a shot," he muttered to himself, cutting a wedge out of the wood bar he was holding while still leaving enough that he could trip the device… if the worst occurred.

"Solona, I hope this works," he called, making his way back to the lever. Solona's eyes shone, even at a distance, as he slowly pushed the switch forward, carefully watching to make sure he didn't activate the sabotaged part.

A few tense seconds passed before the portcullis slowly started grinding upwards. Will immediately dashed forward, rolling under the rising door and, once he was clear, cutting the rope over Solona's head with an Arcane Bolt.

"Absolutely ingenious…" the Guardian whispered as he reappeared, the rest of the room shifting around him. "It seems that, when presented with a choice where both sides are wrong, you will seek a third option." He bowed as the door opened. "You have my deepest respect, William Surana."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Will growled, restraining himself from drawing Spellweaver and trying to kill the bastard as his memories of what was actually going on returned to him. Turning away, he stalked through the door.

"You know, Billy, angry doesn't really suit you."

Will's eyes widened as Solona looked up from the book she had been reading in the replica of the Kinloch library. "Sol… Solona?"

"I don't know, am I?" the figure said, smiling as she rose from behind the table and made her way around. "Why don't you tell me?"

"… No, this isn't really you," Will said finally, his voice sad. "Solona's long dead. You're… some sort of echo."

"Correct," Solana's image said. "I am, to an extent, you. I've been drawn from the memories you have of Solona, how she would react, what she would think, everything. I'm Solona as you see her."

"Why are you here?" Will asked.

"To talk with you, and to give you some advice," Solona said before taking a deep breath. "Will, the only thing I regret about my death was that I gave you cause for pain." Will tensed as she continued. "Forgive me for this, but why did you kill Carroll and Drass?"

"Why did I… They hurt you! They killed…" Solona raised a hand.

"No, Will," she said. "That is not the true reason. A reason, yes, but not the real one."

Will's eyes fell. "…I did it because they hurt me…" he whispered. "When they stole you from me… all I was really thinking about was me."

Solona nodded sadly. "Yes, Will," she said. "Angry, hurt, you lashed out to try and alleviate your own pain by causing it in others."

"But it hasn't worked," Will said. "I thought that killing them would make everything better… but it hasn't. It's just created rifts... caused more pain…"

His head down, he barely recognized Solona's footsteps before she pulled him into a hug. "That being said, Will, I forgive you, and I think it's time you forgave yourself. What happened all those years ago wasn't your fault." Will blinked, and Solona continued "Part of your problem is that you blame yourself for what happened, even though it wasn't your fault."

Will chuckled weakly. "That's right, you're in cahoots with the Guardian,"

"Yes," Solona said. "And believe it or not, he does want to help. The point of the Gauntlet is to try and rid pilgrims of any imperfections before they reach the Ashes. It's painful, I know, but in the end, everyone who makes it through is a better person for it."

"Really?" Will asked, causing Solona to giggle.

"Really really." Will sighed at Solona's old joke. Her smile faded as she studied him. "Why are you crying, Billy?"

"I… don't want to lose you again, Solona," Will whispered. "I know you're dead, but…"

Solona gently pressed a finger to Will's lips, cocking her head. "Don't worry, Will," she said. "I'm going to tell you a secret." She rose up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I never left you. None of us have."

"Huh?" Will said, causing Solona to giggle again.

"Look around, Will," she said, stepping back. Turning, Will was surprised to see other figures standing around the library. His parents and siblings, his aunt and cousin, various teachers and friends from the Circle, even Duncan was there, smiling and waving.

"You see, Will," Solona said, drawing his eyes back to her. "No on you love ever truly leaves you, so long as you keep them in your heart. No matter if we have passed on, or are simply far away, we live on in the dear memories, the good times. Never forget that." She then gestured behind him.

Turning, he saw images of his companions. Sten, tall and calm. Alistair, laughing and waving. Wynne, a small smile gracing her face. Thunder rising on his hind legs for a moment as he barked with joy. Zelda, nodding calmly, lacking any sense of anger or fear. Shale and Morrigan stood together, rolling their eyes but curbing their tongues.

And at the head of the group was Leliana, her arms open.

"They are with you as well, Will," Solona said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, Will. Not now, not ever."

Will slowly felt a smile form. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome, Billy," Solona's voice said. A moment later, her arms snaked around him, palms open. Looking down, Will saw a rune stone, carved in white marble and bearing the image of two hands coming together, palms open while a star formed between them. Around the edge, the words "You are not alone," were written in gold.

"May the bonds you've formed never break, Will," Solona said as Will gently took the pendant. Once he did, the room faded into smoke.

Blinking, Will looked up from the gift. Around the room stood Leliana, Zelda, and Sten. Each of them looked to be deep in thought as well, and all were studying something in their hand. A long moment of silence filled the room, giving Will time to try and judge how the others were doing.

Zelda was looking pensive, even as she tucked what was likely her pendant into her armor. She looked at him, and rather than the wary, defensive look that she had used on him ever since Carroll, she gave a small smile. Will felt his heart warm at the sight.

Sten's face was as stoic as ever, but Will could see that he stood a bit taller than he had before, as if some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He nodded to Will when he looked up, his purple eyes shining slightly.

Leliana, meanwhile, had taken a few steps towards him, as if worried he would pull away. A part of Will wanted to go to her, let her know that he was alright, but somehow, the silence of the room seemed too sacred to disturb.

Before anyone else could speak, the Guardian reappeared, beaming with a smile greater than any of the party had seen. "Well done, all of you," he said, his voice filled with warmth and pride. "You have passed the trials of the Gauntlet, proved yourselves worthy to behold Andraste's remains." He bowed deeply. "You may also take a pinch to bring back to your Arl. Please, do not let the land of Our Lady's birth fall to the darkness." With those words, he vanished, and the final door opened. Will silently led the way through.

The party found themselves in a massive room. Large windows let light in, but it seemed unnecessary, since the very stones gave a soft glow. The coldness that had pervaded the rest of the temple faded, leaving all of them comfortably warm.

Their eyes were drawn to a set of marble stairs, leading up to the base of a large stone statue. Andraste's likeness was smiling at them, and to look at it, it almost seemed to be moving, the light of several torches causing her eyes to flicker. At the base stood a tall golden urn.

As Will approached, he could sense the power radiating off the urn. By all logic, he should have been forced to struggle against the tide, his own magic being pushed away by the sheer, raw _power_ of the place. Instead, the Ashes seemed to welcome him, drawing him closer. Leliana and Zelda were both whispering the Chant under their breaths as they stared at the Urn. Sten was silent, but even he seemed impressed by this place.

Slowly, Will reached out and unscrewed the lid of the Urn, glancing in. The inside should have been pitch black, but a soft light shone within, revealing a pile of ashes. Reaching in, Will realized he wasn't surprised when a small amount rose from within, gently laying themselves in his hand. He pulled a small pouch from his belt before carefully tipping the ashes in, making sure not to spill even a single grain.

"I guess we should go," Zelda whispered. Will nodded, noticing a door set into the wall on one side of the room. The group made their way silently to it and stepped out.

Right through the door they had started at. Morrigan looked up from where she had been sitting against the wall, reading a book.

"That took far longer than I thought," she said. Will blinked, there was something in Morrigan's voice that worried him… and was she shaking a bit? "Did you get your precious ashes?"

"I think we found more that," Leliana said, smiling. Morrigan blinked before scoffing.

"I should have predicted that you would be giddy about seeing the remains of a dead woman," she said, trying to sound scathing. Will glanced at Zelda, half expecting her to become angry with Morrigan. However, she simply shook her head.

"I think it's a shame you didn't come in with us," she said. "I think the Gauntlet would have been good for you."

"I am not interested in passing some silly test," Morrigan said. "Now that you have finally finished, let us go."

As the party was about to make their way onto the mountaintop, a sudden roar shattered the mountain's tranquility. "Back!" Will hissed, pulling back into the shelter of the small canyon leading to the temple, hoping that the dragon wouldn't see them.

And it didn't, instead landing near the entrance to the rest of the complex, likely demanding attention.

"Not... good…" Morrigan whispered, her golden eyes wide. "Dragons have a very good sense of smell…" She pointed.

The dragon had stopped roaring, and had instead stuffed its muzzle into the entrance, its tail thrashing. Suddenly, it yanked its head out, letting out a shriek of rage. It spun, and its gaze fell on the group.

"Uh oh…" Leliana muttered.

"SCATTER!" Will shouted as the dragon spread it's massive wings, flames gathering in its maw. They were barely able to get out of the canyon before the dragon spit a massive fireball.

Will and Morrigan started casting ice and lighting at the massive dragon, thought they both knew it would do little. Leliana had her bow out, and seemed to be trying to aim for the creature's eye. Sten and Zelda, meanwhile, were slowly approaching with weapons drawn.

The dragon roared again before lunging forward, its wings flapping to boost its jump. Zelda barely had time to get out of the way before it crashed down, taking a snap at her as it did.

Sten took the opportunity to charge at the dragon's exposed side, while Will stepped forward to keep its attention away fro the others. It took the bait, breathing a stream of flame at him, which he was able to divide away from himself.

Driven by the full weight of Sten's muscles, Asala bit deep into the dragon's flank. The beast roared in pain, sweeping its tail around to knock the Qunari off his feet. As it tried to turn and finish him off, Zelda came from the other side. Unfortunately, her longsword couldn't do the same damage that a greatsword could, only serving to annoy the dragon a bit.

Before the dragon could roast Sten alive, Will put him in a Force Field, knowing better than to try and lock away the dragon itself. He then moved carefully forward.

Meanwhile, Morrigan and Leliana were still at range, launching their respective attacks against the massive creature. It seemed, however, that Morrigan had succeeded in sufficiently annoying it, as it once more jumped the distance, breathing more fire as it came.

Morrigan was able to get away from the flames, but misfortune struck as the dragon landed. The ground, rough and fractured from years of weathering, shattered under its weight. By pure bad luck, one of the stones that flew out smashed into Morrigan, knocking her over with a pained cry.

The dragon roared triumphantly, only for a Crushing Prison to wrap around its muzzle, snapping its jaws painfully together. Will's eyes were narrowed furiously as he charged forward, trying to get the dragons attention with flames, even though he knew they wouldn't harm it.

The dragon turned to glare at him, forgetting the downed mage behind it. Leliana took the opportunity to rush over, realizing that her arrows were doing little to harm the dragon. Meanwhile, Will was once again forced to duck behind a shield as the dragon's flames split around him.

"William! Look out!" Zelda cried suddenly, barely heard over the roaring fire. Will tried to back up, but it was too late.

The dragon had lunged again, and her massive foot came down on top of Will, who desperately reinforced his shield. However, it almost immediately started to fracture as the dragon put more weight onto Will, its eyes blazing.

Suddenly, the weight lifted as Zelda rammed her blade into the wound Sten had left, causing the dragon to rear in agony. It tried to smack her with its tail, but even as she duck away, Sten came from the other side and gave it another injury. Shrieking, the dragon beat its massive wings, knocking everyone in front of it over as it lifted off, flying into the sky.

"Is it fleeing?" Sten asked as he clambered to his feet, Will groaned as he followed suit, noticing Zelda do the same.

"I doubt it," Will said, watching the dragon circle. "How's Morrigan?" he called to Leliana.

"She's in a bad way, Will!" she shouted back. "I think she has some broken ribs! She's down until we can get back to Wynne!"

"Damnit!" Will hissed as he watched the dragon swoop down, leveling out. "It's strafing us!" he shouted, diving away from a wave of fire even as the winds from the beating wings drove him to the ground again.

"We need to get it out of the sky!" Zelda cried. "We'll never beat it like this!"

Will watched as the dragon wheeled through the sky, coming around for another pass. "The wings…" he whispered. "We need to hit the…" He brought up a shield to defend the group from the fire as the dragon soared overhead. "We need to hit the wings."

"How?" Zelda asked, opening her eyes as the trio watched the dragon line itself up again.

"Distract it, will you!" Will said, gripping his sword with both hands, focusing.

"How are we… Eep!" Zelda jumped as Sten grabbed her arm.

"Follow me," he rumbled, running away from Will. Zelda blinked, but followed the Qunari's lead. As Will had hoped, the dragon tried to fry two enemies in one pass and turned, aiming for the pair. This gave him time to begin preparing his spell. Sten and Zelda dodged the stream of fire, if only barely. As it circled around again, the pair rushed back to Will.

"I hope you're ready, because we can't do that again!" Zelda cried.

"I'm ready," Will said, opening his eyes. Zelda blinked as the temperature of the air dropped even further.

The dragon roared triumphantly as it flew in for the kill, only to be met by a volley of large ice blades, all aimed at the right wing. It tried to bank out of the way, but Will shifted the trajectory magically to match its flight, tearing several massive gashes in the dragon's wing.

"Great job!" Zelda said, grinning as the dragon screeched and flapped, trying to land properly. All it managed to do was make its crash less painful. Still, it rose to its feet, roaring furiously at the group.

"Let's end this," Will growled, spinning Spellweaver in his hand. The other two nodded, readying their own weapons.

The dragon charged forward, its wing bleeding terribly but its anger undaunted. The group split up, Will going straight forward while Zelda went left and Sten right.

The dragon tried to incinerate the Templar, but she simple fell back a bit and let Will and Sten go forward, each taking a swing with their blades. Sten was kicked aside, but was quickly covered by Will, which gave Zelda time to come in and do some damage herself.

The dragon flapped its wings, driving the group back as it tried to fly again. As the group gathered again, Sten glanced at Will. "Kadan, how are we planning to slay the beast? The longer this battle continues, the greater chance that one of us will get hurt or killed."

"The head's the weak point," Will muttered. "We just have to get to it…"

The dragon gave up trying to fly with only one wing and fell back onto all four legs, snarling.

"Easier said than done," Zelda said as the dragon stepped forward again, flames dripping from its jaw.

Will took a brief second to look around, noting some ruins a short distance away. "We need to lead it over there," he said, pointing before turning his attention back to shielding against the flames.

"Right," the others said. Once the dragon's breath faded, the three split up again, but did not move in to attack the dragon, instead enticing it to attack them. Slowly, they pulled the injured and enraged dragon back towards the ruins.

As soon as they arrived, Will called to the others "Who wants to go up?"

"You do it, you're the most agile," Zelda shot back, ducking away from the dragon's snapping jaws. Sten nodded as well, darting in to strike a blow against the scarred foreleg.

Nodding, Will darted up onto one of the collapsing wall. As soon as he was ready, the others retreated out of sight, leaving just the dragon and Will. For a moment, the pair just glared at each other, before the dragon finally lunged forward, its jaws wide.

With a boost of magic, Will leapt, completely evading the dragon's bite. As it tried to reorient itself, Will came back down, driving Spellweaver into the roof of the dragon's mouth. It jerked back, trying to roar in pain but only succeeding in exacerbating the wound Will was giving it, especially after Will started shocking the dragon. For several minutes, the dragon struggled and tried to throw Will off, but he held firm, alternating between the lightning runes on Spellweaver and his own ice magic. Finally, the dragon fell forward, flattening the wall, its brain having been frozen and shattered.

As Will wearily pulled Spellweaver from the dragon's bloody maw, he glanced up as Zelda started clapping. "I'll have to let everyone back at the tower know you killed a high dragon," she said, smiling. "They'll be even more insistent on calling you the Dragon Mage now!"

"Shut up," Will grumbled, but he couldn't help but smile a bit.

AN: Hope you liked the dragon fight, it was one of the best parts of the game for me.


	22. Regrouping and Returning

AN: Sorry this took longer than expected, but I recently learned that my elder brother has cancer. It's early and a relatively benign form, so he should be fine, but please, hope for him, pray for him, whatever.

Reviewer Response:

david9999: Thanks for the kind review. I really liked the High Dragon fight in Origins, much more than the one in DA II (I hate how it had to use an army of adds to be challenging. A real dragon should be able to lay down the hurt without calling in her kids.)

Guest: Thank you.

Cold Burn: I really like the City Elf origin, the only reason I like Magi more is because I like being a mage. As for the flashback, for me it's personal preference: I was able to show what actually happened rather than what he remembers happening (there can be subtle differences). Have fun with your City Elf.

Jakker: You can make it up to me by telling all your friends about the story : ). And thanks for correcting me on 'tis, I went back and fixed it.

Ie-maru: I update as quickly as I can, collage has a tendency to eat up time, but I'm glad you like the story. The answer to the egg question is yes; they did smash them (Will remembered the dragons in Kinloch).

King of Vaypouria: Glad to have you back. One of the great things about fanfiction is you can take those things that Bioware had to do for game play reasons and tweak them a bit.

DocBon3saw: Unclear transitions have always frustrated me too, so I try to be very obvious. Glad you like the story.

HUGEFAN: Wow, I didn't know anyone liked the story this much. Thanks for getting me motivated to start working on it again. It's not because of reviews that I wasn't writing, I just got distracted by other things (my brother came back for Christmas, and I hadn't seen him for almost two years.)

Q: A combination of writers block and having other things to do, sorry about that, and recently it was because of my brother. To be fair, there's an author who writes a brilliant story who didn't update for almost two years, so it could be worse, right?

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 21: Regrouping and Returning

Alistair was the first to notice the others returning, due to his Warden ability to sense the Blight. His head jerked up from the book that he had grabbed to pass the time. Thunder must have heard them a moment later, as he rose to his feet and started barking, his stumpy tail wagging furiously.

"Are they back?" Brother Genitivi asked, the scratch of his quill fading as he dragged himself away from a tablet he had been studying in the corner.

"Yes," Alistair said, suppressing a sigh. He felt conflicted about the others return: on the one hand it was good to know that everyone was safe, but that meant things would go back to the tense, barely-civil mess that the group had endured ever since the… incident.

Alistair, by nature, was a man who liked things to run smoothly. He liked it when he and his friends got along well and worked together. Ever since William had split off from the others, the rift that had formed had caused him to start doubting whether they would ever be able to overcome it. He slowly made his way out of the small library and into the main entrance hall, followed by Thunder.

A moment later, the group came into sight. William was in the lead, though if his armor hadn't been so distinctive Alistair almost wouldn't have recognized him. Gone was the grim, angry bundle of magic, nerves and spines. Now he walked tall, as if a great weigh ha been lifted from his shoulder. Leliana walked next to him, a slight bounce in her step and a small smile on her face, both things that had been missing for quite some time.

Behind the pair came Sten, carrying Morrigan. The witch looked like she was drifting in and out of consciousness, but otherwise appeared mostly unharmed. Finally, Zelda carried up the rear, but she also looked much less tense than she had when she had left.

It was almost as if the entire group had stepped out of the past, out of the trip from Denerim to Highever. They moved with the same easy, unconscious unity, each trusting the others to keep them safe. They walked like a team rather than a group of individuals that happened to be going the same way.

Thunder started barking joyfully as he dashed up the stairs. Grinning, Will crouched down to meet him, running his hands along both sides of the mabari's face. Alistair wasn't far behind the eager dog.

"William," he said as he reached the top of the stairs. "What happened?"

The younger Warden smiled, _he actually smiled_, as he rose to his full height. "We've got what we came for," he said gently, holding up a small pouch. "And… I think we all found something more, as well." Alistair longed to ask for clarification, but a soft groan from Morrigan stopped him.

"What happened to her?" he asked. Even though he hated the cruel woman, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. Now that he saw her like this, in the massive Qunari's arms, she looked so small and fragile, as if a single blow would be enough to break her into a thousand pieces.

"We met a High Dragon," Leliana said, glancing back as Alistair felt his jaw drop. A High Dragon? Here? "It's dead, but Morrigan got hurt. Will stabilized her, but we need to get her back to Wynne to make sure she's alright." The former bard glanced around Alistair down to Brother Genitivi, who was making his way up the stairs more slowly. "Everything alright here?"

"Yes, it is," Alistair said. "We found some interesting things in there. Well, Brother Genitivi found them interesting. Some of them were alright, I guess, but I couldn't read most of it."

"Well, a lot of them were encrypted," Brother Genitivi said. "The ancient Andrastians were quite clever: they disguised their writings so that, should the Imperium capture their documents, they wouldn't be able to understand them." He shook his head. "But enough about that, the Ashes, did you get the Ashes?!" His eyes were shining as he said this.

"We did," William said, showing the brother the bag he carried.

"I… Words cannot describe…" Brother Genitivi said, holding out a shaking hand. "Can… can I just touch the bag, please?" he whispered. "After so long…"

"You're the reason we found this place, Brother Genitivi," Will said. "Still, be careful, please, I don't want to have to clamber all the way back to the top of the mountain to get more, we need these ashes to heal the Arl."

"Of course, of course," the older man said, tenderly pressing a single finger against the rough fabric of the bag. A long moment passed before he pulled away. "This is just so exciting!" he cried. "I'll write a report, this place must be studied, examined! The Divine will have to listen to me now!" He made to spin around and dart back down the stairs, only to stumble.

"Easy, Brother, easy," William said with a slight chuckle, catching the flailing man with telekinesis. "You're legs are still injured, you shouldn't be running around too much. Here, let me help you." The brother nodded, and after a few minutes, he had gathered up all the books and notes he had gathered during the time William and the others had been searching for the Ashes. Alistair half-wished that Shale was here to carry some of the stuff.

Still, the group was soon making its way back down the mountain, William in the lead. He was supporting Brother Genitivi, who was taking the opportunity to bombard him with questions over the book, as well as other things the Warden had seen and done. Sten was still carrying Morrigan in silence, though Thunder hand wandered over and was barking worriedly as he studied the witch. Alistair shook his head; Morrigan had been no kinder to the mabari than she had been to anyone else, save perhaps William. Why was the silly dog acting so concerned?

Alistair pushed the thought out of his head as Zelda made her way over to him from the conversation she had been having with Leliana. "Are you alright, Alistair? You seem quiet."

"I guess I'm just confused, is all," Alistair said finally. "What happened up there? Why are you all so… content. Not that I'm complaining, for course, it's a nice change, but it's… sudden."

"It was the Gauntlet," Zelda said. "It… reminded us what was really important." A small, sad smile graced her face as her eyes grew distant. "I think that, when this is all over, you should come back here and go through it."

"I don't know," Alistair said. "I probably wouldn't do that well, I'm horrible at tests."

"The Gauntlet isn't like any other test you might have faced," Zelda said reassuringly. "It _wants_ you to succeed. Besides, I think you give yourself too little credit: you are a good man, Alistair, and to the Gauntlet, that is the most important thing."

"Really? You think so?" Alistair asked.

"I do," Zelda said, smiling. "You went through the same training I did, but you were not so blinded by it as to attempt to strike down the one who has led us as far as he has in a moment of stupidity. Besides, you would have realized that there was no way to beat him, not when he wields both magic and blade skills beyond our own."

"Not beyond yours," William said, having somehow made his way back with Brother Genitivi. "When it comes to swords, the only advantages I have are speed and strength, not skill." He laughed quietly. "Now, a true Arcane Warrior, that's another story, and maybe one day I'll reach that level." He glanced at Zelda. "Besides, you were right to call me out on my actions. Maybe not with a blade, but someone needed to yank me back, before I started using death for its own sake."

"I would have done the same in your shoes, William," Zelda said, turning to the elf mage. "What was done that night goes was wrong, they should never have killed her without even attempting to understand what transpired."

"Just because you would have done it doesn't make it right," William said. "Yes, Carroll and Drass should not have done what they had, and yes, no one would have believed me if I had accused them of it, but letting myself be consumed by rage didn't solve anything. I don't regret Valter, and I never will, since I was acting in immediate defense, but from what I've heard about Carroll and Drass, neither of them were involved in any more incidents after that one."

"And yet, I did the same thing," Zelda said. "I did not seek to understand either, simply to strike against you."

William watched her for a moment before chuckling. "Let us just agree that we both made mistakes, and agree to keep each other from making them again." Zelda nodded, smiling herself.

"Um, is there something I'm missing here?" Brother Genitivi asked.

"Just an old story, nothing interesting," Alistair said quickly. Brother Genitivi blinked, but seemed to decide to let the mystery go unsolved.

By this time, the group had made their way back into the village area, past the burnt out remains of the Chantry that William had used as an impromptu funeral pyre. There didn't seem to be anyone left alive in the entire place, since they had all joined the attack, leaving the frozen village empty and desolate.

"Why did they do it?" Brother Genitivi murmured as he looked around sadly. "They lived in the shadow of the ashes of Andraste… how is it that they fell so far?" No one had an answer for that, and eventually they simply left the way they had come, leaving the mountain to reclaim the empty village.

Before too long, they reached the small camp where the two members of the party that had stayed behind were waiting. Shale stood as he always did, unmoving, unblinking, watching the path. Wynne, meanwhile, had set up a fire in the shelter of a small hollow in the sheer rock of the mountain and was reading quietly.

"It returns!" Shale boomed, marching forward. "And it brings another fleshy creature with it, how extraordinary. And this one seems even more frail than most."

"Is that… a golem?" Brother Genitivi breathed, "When I was in Orzammar, I tried to learn more about them, but the dwarves were remarkably secretive about the whole matter. Where did you find it, and how does it work…"

Shale growled. "The fleshy brother speaks in a manner similar to my former master, and it _irks_ me. May I crush its head now?"

William shook his head as Brother Genitivi's jaw dropped. "Let it be, Shale, he didn't know better." He turned to the stunned brother. "Shale is no slave or servant, he follows of his own will after his control rod was damaged. Please, do try not to antagonize him, he gets very grumpy." Shale huffed.

"I do no get grumpy," the massive stone figure rumbled before storming off to sulk. William shook his head again as both Zelda and Alistair suppressed their laughter.

Wynne, meanwhile, had immediately moved to help Sten with Morrigan, and was running a glowing hand along her stomach. "The worst of the damage was already repaired," she said quietly, "but bring her in there so I can finish up." Sten obeyed, placing the injured witch in the shelter Wynne had erected.

"Once you're done, Wynne," William said as he led Brother Genitivi over to her. "If you'd take a look at the good Brother, that would be great."

Like Alistair before her, Wynne seemed to immediately notice that something had changed about William, as she stared at him for a long moment before going back to Morrigan. "I'll do that, William," she said before closing her eyes and letting a corona of light form around herself and Morrigan, a light which was likely curing any damage the witch might have incurred from the dragon.

"How did you beat a high dragon, anyways?" Alistair asked Zelda, who was still standing next to him.

"Planning, superior numbers, and forcing it to the ground," the woman said. "It helped that we had someone who could use both a sword and magic, so he could defend himself while dealing damage." Alistair didn't know much about dragons, but he had heard once that, while they didn't have any magic that protect them, they were simply too big for most spells to do damage, and their scales were difficult to pierce. He was still surprised that the others, even with all their strength, had been able to bring one down.

It seemed that Wynne was done with Morrigan, as she stood and made her way over to Brother Genitivi, though she didn't spend very long looking at him before healing his external injuries and recommending he be careful not to eat too much too fast, since he was dealing with the after-effects of malnourishment. With that, she turned to William, who had been waiting nearby.

"So, was the Urn there?" she asked.

"Yes," William said, pulling out the pouch of ashes again. Wynne blinked as she studied it.

"Even with such a small amount… I can sense it…" she shook her head. "I… I suppose we should leave."

"Yeah," William said, smiling. "You're a bit old to be trekking around snowy mountains at this hour."

Wynne blinked before letting out a short laugh. "You seem to be in much higher spirits than when I last saw you, William."

"Things happen, Wynne, things happen." William said before nodding down the path. "Shall we?"

As the party made their way back down the mountain, Wynne hurried over to Alistair and Zelda. "What happened up there?" she asked, still sounding stunned.

"It was the Gauntlet, the final test before the Ashes," Zelda said. "I don't know what he saw, but if it was anything like mine, it somehow both pointed out flaws even we didn't truly recognize while still reminding us that we were good people, giving us hope for the future. It… cleansed us, really."

"Even Morrigan?" Alistair asked, glancing at the witch. Somehow, he couldn't envision her being nice to anyone.

"Well, she didn't go in, so I don't know what it would have done for her," Zelda said. "But if there is anything that could have changed her attitude, it would have been the Gauntlet." She glanced at Morrigan. "Thought I think it would have had its work cut out for it."

* * *

><p>Capitan Kent Hunter sighed as he looked up at the steep mountain that he and his company were approaching, led on by the mage that Howe had provided. The man remained very secretive about how exactly he knew where the traitors were going to be, but his orders had been to follow the man without question, and no matter how much he didn't like orders like that, he would obey.<p>

'Just like you obeyed at Ostagar?' a cool voice muttered in the back of his head, causing him to sigh. He had been there when the order had come from Teyrn Loghian to leave, abandoning their fellow soldiers to die at the hands of those… beasts. True, the Teyrn had insisted that their path had been the only one, that the Warden's treachery had run too deep to save anyone, but Kent couldn't help but think that there must have been another way.

"How close are we?" he asked the mage, who had been staring intently at the strange vial he held in his hand.

"Close, close," he said, nodding at the mountain. "The Wardens are up there. Hurry, Capitan, we can catch them yet." With that, he turned to lead the way, only to stumble over his robes. Kent shook his head in exasperation, for all his arrogance, the mage clearly had very little idea what he was doing. Kent signaled his men forward, and the combined arms of swords, spears, and bows marched onwards.

They didn't notice the shadows moving behind them.

* * *

><p>About a quarter of the way up the mountain, there was a flat area. Will didn't know how it had been formed, but he was glad that it existed, since it meant that the party wouldn't have to go all the way down the mountain to reach an area to camp: traveling on a mountain at night was a dangerous prospect, though frankly it was always dangerous to travel at night.<p>

Will smiled slightly as he observed the difference between tonight and the last time they had camped together. That night, the tension in the air had been an almost physical presence, and the people had unconsciously split into their own groups: those that saw his actions as unforgivable, those that viewed him as being in the right, and those that didn't lean either way. Leliana had been the only one that had tried to bridge the divide, though she had little success.

As Will thought this, a small lance of pain flashed across his arm, the arm that carried the words he had burned as a reminder. Slowly, Will pulled back his sleeve, revealing the dark wound.

'Never Forget,' he thought, slowly circling the mark with his finger. For seven years, this message had formed a core for him, something to remember, to rely on. Whatever had come, he had withstood so that he could fulfill the promise he had made.

Now, that part was over, and it was time… to start anew. With slow, deliberate purpose, Will lit a finger with blue healing energy and ran it over the markings that had defined him for too long, leaving smooth, unblemished skin behind. He stared at the point where it had been for a moment longer before pulling his sleeve back down with a small smile.

"What's that for?" a gentle voice asked. Will's smile widened as Leliana seated herself next to him.

"Just… lightening an old load," he said.

"That's good," Leliana said, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm, right over the place he had healed, making it clear that she knew exactly what he had done. "It hurt, seeing you like you were."

"I'm sorry I put you through that, Leliana," Will said, reaching up to cover her hand with his own. Blue eyes met green, and Leliana opened her mouth to say something.

Suddenly, a dark tingle passed through Will's blood, and his face jerked away from Leliana, glaring down the mountain. Not far away, Alistair looked up as well.

"What is it?" Leliana asked, pushing herself to her feet alongside Will.

"Darkspawn, at least a dozen," Will snarled, using his magic to grab his armor and sword that lay beside him. "Darkspawn!" he called again, causing everyone in the camp to begin scrambling for their weapons. Less than a minute later, they were all grouped at the center of the small area. "Alistair, you and Thunder hang back, protect Brother Genitivi" Will said, and the other Warden nodded immediately. "The rest of you, normal plan. Sten, Shale, Zelda and I will hold them back while the others pick them off."

"Right!" everyone said, and they moved to the mouth of the thin path that led to the camp area. Shale took center, his massive stone bulk would be enough to hold back anything, while Sten and Will flanked him to overcome his relative immobility, while Zelda stepped up to Sten's other side. Will heard the creak of wood as Leliana drew her bow, and the crackle of lightning as Morrigan and Wynne brought their magic to bear. A grim smile split his face as he summoned his own power, lightless flames licking his arms.

Suddenly, a whistle split the air, and Will barely summoned a shield before an arrow slammed into it.

'They're still a minute or two away…' Will thought as another arrow hit his shield, and more clinked off Shale's stone hide and Sten ducked aside as several passed through the space he had occupied. "Who's shooting at us?" He could see shapes moving in the dark rocks below them, shapes that occasionally glinted as their armor caught the moonlight.

"Kadan, humans!" Sten called.

"What the…" Will's eyes widened as a sickly sense of weakness filled him. A moment later, Zelda pressed a hand against his back, and the spell faded.

"Thanks," he said.

"I'll deal with the mage," she said, stepping back and letting her anti-magic fire burn. A moment later, a sharp cry came from below, and a robed figure toppled to his knees, only to be shot in the chest by Leliana. Still the sheer volume of arrows coming from below was making it difficult for her and the other ranged members of the party to fight effectively. Even Will was only able to let lose the occasional bolt of magic. 'That's the point!' Will realized. 'The archers are covering the warriors as they approach.'

"WARDENS!" a voice shouted. "I am Capitan Kent Hector of the Army of Ferelden. Surrender, and you will be allowed to face trial for you're treachery!"

"Loghain's men!" Will hissed. 'How did they find us?' He shook his head, he'd figure that out later, right now there were bigger problems. "Capitan, it might interest you to know that there are a large number of Darkspawn coming up behind you."

"You think we will fall for that trap?" the captain called, and it wasn't long before Will picked him out from his men, who were still advancing. He briefly considered simply killing him, but was interrupted by another volley of arrows aimed at him. "If you will not surrender, we will kill you now. Forward!"

A minute later, the first of Loghain's soldiers reached Will, and was almost immediately shot by Leliana. Still, more and more of them were poring into the line, and soon Spellweaver was dripping blood.

Most of Will's attention, however, was on the approaching darkspawn. Their lead elements were reaching the back of the archer line, and Will was waiting for the scream that would tell the Capitan that Will had been telling the truth.

That scream never came. Will would only ever catch a brief glimpse of a shadow at each archer's position to tell him that they were now dead. 'Shrieks…' he thought grimly. Alistair had taken time early in their quest to explain more about the various types of darkspawn, and of the lot, Will found shrieks the most unpleasant. They were the Blight's hunters and assassins, able to turn invisible at a whim when stealth was needed, or use their horrifying scream to stun their prey in open battle. If they reached the party while they were still fighting Loghain's men, it would probably be disastrous.

"You're men are dying, Captain!" Will shouted as he parried two strikes from a warrior before running her through. He kicked the woman off his blade before using telekinesis to throw her body into another enemy, then turned to the captain, who had reached the battle. "The darkspawn are here!" He was interrupted by another body flying across his field of vision, courtesy of the laughing golem.

"We will not fall for your trap," the man said again, bracing himself even as an arm hit the ground near him, an arm that had been lopped off by Asala. "You're treachery ends here."

"You blind fool," Will said sadly, Spellweaver's lightning flaring.

"Is it blindness to see through your…"

"CAPITAIN! DARKSPAWN!" a man called, causing the soldier to jerk around, and Will could imagine his eyes widening at what he saw. The shrieks had abandoned stealth and were now swarming up the mountain, their namesake cries splitting the cold air.

"Believe me now?" Will asked mildly, launching a fireball past the man, though most of the spawn were able to evade the blast. The remaining soldiers were starting to realize that they were about to come under attack from behind, and, predictably, were panicking. Those that hadn't yet reached the party's defensive line were rapidly being slaughtered by the nightmarish creatures.

"Maker…" Captain Hector breathed, his arms falling limply by his side. Will grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"Look, you have two choices, you can either give up on killing us, at least for the moment, or you can try to fight on two fronts and get all your soldiers killed. It's your choice."

"It can't fight alongside traitors…"

"We're not traitors!" Will snarled, blocking a strike from one of the soldiers who hadn't given up, who was promptly grabbed by Shale and thrown down the mountain. "Join or die, last chance."

"… Turn on the darkspawn!" Captain Hector called, bringing his own shield up again. Will nodded.

"Everyone, fall back to a more open area." He wasn't willing to let Loghain's men stand behind him, not when they could change their minds about not fighting at any moment. As the first shrieks reached the ridge, the new allies had reformed, Will's party on the left, and the shattered remnants of Captain Hector's group formed the right flank. It was immediately hit by both an arrow and a Stone Fist, and the second that leapt up was frozen and shattered. The remaining shrieks didn't show themselves, but Will could sense them moving around.

"They're stealthed!" he called. "Form a circle!" A fireball was able to catch two of the shrieks, but there were still almost a dozen hiding in the shadows. "We need to reveal them somehow."

"Leave that to me, William," Wynne said gently, before chanting under her breath.

Will was about to ask what she was doing when he sensed a shift in the currents of magic. He risked a glance behind him, just in time to see Wynne light up, her eyes blazing like the sun. A moment later, her light flared out, banishing the shadows of the mountain with a glow that could likely be seen for miles.

The shadows gone, it was suddenly easy to spot the shrieks, which cried out and covered their eyes. Magic and arrows flew, cutting down most of them before they could react, and those that remained were soon killed as they charged the two groups in a desperate attempt to kill something.

Wynne's glow faded, and she leaned heavily on her staff, panting. "I… didn't think it would take quite that much out of me…"

"Was that… a spirit?" Zelda asked, sounding stunned.

"Yes, Faith," Wynne said. "One of the most powerful of its kind."

"Incredible…" Brother Genitivi whispered from his position at the center of the group.

A long silence passed before Will turned to look at the gathered remains of Loghain's force. "Well, Captain, what now?"

The soldier took a step forward, hefting his sword and shield. "You remain traitors to Ferelden, Warden," he growled. "Your crimes remain unchanged, no matter what happened here tonight." His fellows raised their weapons, and Will's party did the same.

"Were you at Ostagar, Capitan?" Will asked, shifting Spellweaver. The man nodded slowly. "Was there anything that happened there that made you wonder? Could you see the battle?" He didn't answer, so Will continued. "Besides the Darkspawn, who benefited most from Ostagar?"

"I don't know what you're insinuating," the captain said, though Will could tell by his tone that he wasn't as sure as he tried to appear.

"Let me put it this way: if Loghain could see what was going on in the battle, then why did he need the Tower of Ishal in the first place? And what has he been doing ever since he took power?"

Several of the soldiers looked like they were considering Will's words, and others seemed to have decided that they didn't stand a chance against Will and his friends (which was completely true). The captain opened his mouth to say something, but another soldier tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. Will used a flicker of Arcane Warrior magic to enhance his already sharp hearing so that he could find out what they were saying.

"Captain, we can't win this one," the man hissed. "You saw what they did to those darkspawn, what they were doing to _us_! They have three mages, we have none. They have a bloody _golem_!"

"So we should just abandon our duty?" Capitan Hector shot back.

"I know you've thought about Ostagar, and he raises good points. I joined the army to protect Fereldens, not kill them. Besides, if they were traitors, why would they let us leave?"

A long moment passed before Capitan Hector nodded slowly. "We'll let you walk away this time, Warden," he called. "But be warned, we will not be the last to hunt you."

"Thanks for the warning," Will said. "In return, I'll give one of my own. The Darkspawn are massing, and it won't be long before the Blight begins in earnest. On that day, pray Ferelden stands ready, for they know nothing of mercy." A shiver passed through the collective soldiers, but Captain Hunger nodded sharply before gesturing for his men to leave.

"What now, kadan?" Sten rumbled.

"We should move on, we don't know if he'll change his mind or not," Will said.

"It would have been so nice to be able to squish their heads," Shale whined.

As the group quickly packed up their camp, Will pulled Wynne aside. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, William" she said. "Faith was weakened by the act, but he's still strong enough to keep me going a while longer." She smiled slightly. "I must say, your concern is touching."

"Even at my darkest emotional pit, I never wanted you dead, Wynne," Will said. "We disagreed, but that didn't mean I didn't respect you in principle."

"William, I... I must say that I'm sorry I doubted you, and Solona too," Wynne said after a long moment.

"All is forgiven, Wynne," Will said. "I hope you can forgive me for acting like what people imagination the darkest of mages become."

"Yes, Will. I forgive you."

The two clasped hands for a moment before splitting up. Will had just finished packing his tent when he heard the sound of clanking plate armor near him and looked up to see Zelda standing there, along with Alistair.

"We heard you and Wynne," Alistair said, looking nervous. "And we just wanted to say that we were sorry, too." Will nodded.

"Alistair, there's nothing to forgive, and Zelda, you did what you felt you had to. Sorry about almost killing you after Carroll."

Zelda shook her head. "I was the one that started that fight, William. You just ended it."

The two stared at each other for a moment before Will nodded. "Then we shouldn't say anything more on the matter, lest we reopen old grievances. Let's just move on." He held out his hand, which Zelda took.

"Agreed."

As the party passed through the area where the Shrieks had cut down the archers, Will crouched down next to mage, wondering who he was. As he studied the man's face, he heard glass crunching under his armored boot and looked down to see the spilled remains of a vial of blood, with a stained tag lying nearby.

"A phylactery?" he asked, picking up the tag, only to find his own name on it, almost obscured by the blood.

"How did they get this?" Zelda gasped. "This should have been locked up in the vault at Denerim…"

"Apparently Loghain has friends in the Templar," Will said grimly. "When we're in Denerim, we'll have to find out who." Slowly, Will crumpled up the parchment before setting it on fire. "Lets go, the sooner we get back to Redcliffe, the sooner we can heal Arl Eamon."

* * *

><p>It took the party almost a week to make their way to Redcliffe, and Morrigan spent most of it in the air, watching the remains of the army group, since they remained relatively close. Still, it seemed that Capitan Hector was sticking to his agreement. Will had considered asking him where they had gotten his phylactery, but decided that the man wasn't likely to answer. It was clear that only fear for his men's lives prevented him from making an attack.<p>

Besides, Will had other things to consider. Ever since she had woken up, Morrigan had been… distant. Whenever he had tried to talk to her, she had muttered something about there being too many prying ears. Hopefully, once they reached Redcliffe, he'd be able to figure out what was bothering her.

Finally, the party reached the castle and were immediately admitted by the guards, whom Will recognized as being some of Bann Teagan's knights. They were ushered into the great hall, where the worried noble met them.

"My brother's condition has still not improved, in fact it's getting worse," he said desperately. "The merchant that travels with you says that you were on the trail of the Urn, and I pray that your coming here means that you have found it, for if you have not, I fear Eamon will die within the week."

"We have found the Urn, and have some of the Ashes," Will said, holding the bag. "From what I've seen, they might just live up to the legend."

Isolde, who had been staring into the fire, looked up joyfully. "Truly," she breathed. "Then we must not delay!"

Most of the party decided to stay behind, but Will, Alistair, Zelda, Wynne, and Leliana went with Teagan and Isolde to Arl Eamon's bedchamber. On the way, Will saw Connor, sitting quietly and reading something. He looked none the worse for wear due to his brush with a demon.

However, the sight of him brought Jowan to mind. Will was fairly certain that he knew what Arl Eamon would have done with the young blood mage, a thought that made Will sad. For all his flaws, Jowan was still Will's friend, and he wished that there was something he could do to help him. He shook himself out of those thoughts as the door to the Arl's room was pushed open by the knight guarding it.

Will was no master of the healing arts, but even he could see that the man on the large, four-poster bed was dying. His skin was almost grey, matching the grey of his beard, and his breath was coming in short gasps. Isolde muttered something in Orlesian that sounded like a prayer as she rushed to her husband's right side while Teagan moved to the left.

Will glanced at the ashes, suddenly realizing that he had no idea what exactly to do with them. Should he have the Arl ingest them, or should he just sprinkle them over the sick man. He glanced at Wynne, who was frowning in thought, clearly trying to think of the answer herself.

"Place them on his brow," she said finally. "These ashes are a spiritual remedy more than a physical one, so they should not have to enter the bloodstream to be effective." Will nodded and did as she said, placing the warm grey dust on the Arl's forehead.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the ashes started emitting a dim glow, and the Arl shuddered. As the light from the sacred ashes brightened, warm colors started spreading down the Arl's face, and his breathing became less labored. Finally, after almost a minute, the glow faded, leaving no trace of the ashes.

"Maker…" Teagan muttered, tentatively reaching out to touch his brother's forehead. "His fever is gone… It's a miracle…"

"Who…" Arl Eamon groaned, his eyes flickering open as a hand reached up weakly to grab Teagan's. "Brother… is that you…"

"It's me, Eamon," Teagan said, smiling. "You've been sick for quite some time."

Arl Eamon nodded, his eyes flicking around the room. "I saw… many terrible things…" he groaned, turning his head to look at his wife. "Isolde… you live…"

"I do," she said gently, taking her husband's hand and holding it. "And so does Connor." She lowered her head. "Although… many others were not that fortunate."

"I see," Arl Eamon said, his voice strengthening. After a moment, he started shifting himself, clearly trying to rise from his bed.

"Brother, are you certain you should be…" Teagan started, only to be cut off by a wave of the Arl's hand.

"I am the Arl of this land, and it is my duty to do what I can, and I cannot do that from a bed." With a groan, the old man pushed himself into a sitting position before looking at everyone else in the room. "And who are these?"

"These are the Wardens that helped us heal you, Brother," Teagan said. "Without their courage and strength, we would never have been able to save you, or countless others." The Arl nodded, his eyes flicking from one to the next until he saw Alistair, at which point he jerked in surprise.

"Alistair, is that you?" he asked, and the blonde man nodded.

"Long time, no see, huh," he said, grinning slightly. The Arl laughed slightly in response.

"Still rather flippant in the face of authority. I would have thought Duncan would have seen to that."

Alistair's face fell at the mention of his fallen mentor, a change that Arl Eamon picked up on immediately.

"Your Lordship, I'm afraid there is much to discuss," Will said, stepping to the fore. The Arl nodded.

"You're right, of course. Let us adjourn to the great hall, as is proper."

Once the group had returned to the room (Though Wynne decided to go elsewhere, now that she knew the Ashes had worked), Will outlined what had happened since Eamon had been poisoned: Loghain's treachery at Ostagar and subsequent claiming of authority in Ferelden, the rising Blight, the near destruction of Redcliffe, and the allies that Will had been gathering. Through it all, the Arl remained completely silent, letting Will speak. At some point, he turned to look into the roaring fire, deep in thought.

He remained silent for almost five minutes after Will had finished, simply thinking. Finally, however, he turned, his face grim.

"What you have told me is most troubling, Warden Surana, and there is much to be done," he said, his voice dark. "But before we turn to the matter of Loghain and the Blight, I must thank you, not only for my life, but the lives of my brother, son, wife, and all those in the village that were saved by your heroism. Know this, even after the Blight is through, you will always be welcome here, as will any that follow you." He sighed. "And on that note, I suppose we should deal with the would-be assassin. Where is he now?"

"I had him sent back to the dungeon and kept under guard," Teagan supplied. "He has cooperated completely." Arl Eamon nodded.

"Have him brought here, I would speak with him." One of the knights at the door nodded and left. A silence passed before the clanking of armor announced the return of the knight, along with several guards recruited from the village militia.

Jowan looked much better than when Will had last seen him, indicating that the people at the castle were at least feeding him. He also seemed a fair bit calmer than most people would be when being brought before the lord they had tried to assassinate in chains.

"Yes, I remember you," Arl Eamon said, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of Jowan. "I had thought it strange that you spent so much time with my son, but both Connor and Isolde seemed to trust you, so I decided to let you be. It seems that was a mistake." Jowan nodded meekly, causing the Arl to raise an eyebrow. "Strange for you to agree with me, assassin. Don't you have anything to say in your own defense?"

"Not really," Jowan said. "I know that I have made terrible, terrible mistakes, and that all the damage and death that has come to this land is my fault. All I can say is that I regret my actions, and that I wish I had a chance to make things right."

Arl Eamon remained silent for a long moment. "You surprise me again," he said finally. "Well, if there is no one to speak in your defense, then I will…"

"I would speak in Jowan's defense," Will said. Jowan was his friend, and now that his annoyance with the other mage had faded, he realized he had to do something.

"Truly?" Arl Eamon asked, turning his gaze to Will. "Very well, I will listen."

Will took a breath before speaking. "No one doubts that Jowan has made some very foolish decisions, but I know that he did not make them out of malevolence, since I've known Jowan for almost thirteen years; and in that time he has never done anything out of a true desire to do harm. After he realized just what he had inadvertently brought about, he did everything in his power to correct his mistake." When Arl Eamon raised an eyebrow slightly, Will explained. "Jowan could have escaped at any time: he took down the Knight Commander and First Enchanter of Kinloch with one spell during his initial escape; the only reason he's still here is because he chooses to be." Will glanced at Jowan, who couldn't seem to believe that someone was on his side.

"So you believe all should just be forgiven?" Arl Eamon asked mildly, though the narrowing of his eyes made it clear that he was not happy. "Just let this man go because he hasn't seen fit to cause more trouble than he already has?"

"Will killing him fix everything?" Will shot back. "Will ending his life restore all those that were lost? Besides, the fault was not his alone. The demon that possessed Connor was the one that lead the attacks on the village; Jowan had nothing to do with that. Besides, there are other factors to consider. Jowan's proof that Loghain tried to assassinate you, so keeping him around will be valuable."

Once Will was finished, there was a moment of silence before Arl Eamon shook his head. "You speak well, Warden, but ultimately the decision was never truly in my hands. This man is a malefecar, and thus Chantry law dictates that I must hand him over to the Templar. The only question was whether or not I would have executed him myself."

'Then why did you even listen to me?' Will thought as Arl Eamon nodded to the knights who had brought Jowan. The Templar would kill Jowan in an instant, they considered blood mages too great a threat to take chances with. He watched as the knights turned Jowan around and started marching him out the door.

"I invoke the Right of Conscription."

Everyone turned to stare at Will. He was a bit surprised at himself, but now that he had said the words, he couldn't afford to change his mind.

"Warden…" Arl Eamon said, his eyes narrowed. "I hardly think this is the time or place for this sort of behavior."

"You said yourself that the reason you were giving Jowan to the Templar was because Chantry law demanded it," Will said. "It seems to me that this suits us both; Jowan remains alive and in a position to aid us, and you don't break the law, since the Warden's Right of Conscription supersedes all else, especially in times of Blight."

"Warden, this man is a murderer," Arl Eamon said. "Surely you can do far better than him to join your ranks."

"In terms of raw strength, Jowan is almost unmatched," Will said. Jowan opened his mouth, the look on his face indicating he was about to disagree. However, Will continued. "You know it's true, Jowan. You defeated First Enchanter Irving, Knight Commander Greagoir, and several other Templar with one spell."

"If that is true, then how do you know you can control him?" Bann Teagan asked, sounding more worried than angry.

"I have a few surprises, but I don't think I'll have to. As I said, Jowan has made mistakes rather than deliberately sought to cause damage, and has done all he can to repent for his errors."

Arl Eamon continued to stare at Will before turning to Zelda. "Sir Templar," he said, his voice cold. "Surely you agree that this is most… irregular."

For a long moment, Zelda looked between Jowan, Will, and Arl Eamon. "Actually, I think that William makes some good points," she said slowly. "So long as… proper precautions are taken, I believe that he can be helpful." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Jowan, who paled under her gaze. "That being said, if I feel you are too great a risk, I will do my duty, do you understand?"

"Yes," Jowan squeaked.

Arl Eamon's glare remained before he sighed. "Very well, Warden, I see that there is nothing I can do about this matter, though I do wish you hadn't done this. However, now is not the time for this, we must decide what to do about Loghain." He gestured for the knights to release Jowan, which the did. "Do you have any insight into your former master's plan?"

"I'm afraid not," Jowan said. "He just told me what to do, but not what he intended." Arl Eamon nodded.

"That is unfortunate," he said. "However, I believe that our best course of action is to call a Landsmeet. Loghain is the Regent, and thus holds much power. Even if the rebellion against him is victorious, it will still leave Ferelden weakened for the coming Blight. A Landsmeet will allow us to remove him from power with minimal bloodshed."

"How will that work? Can't he just arrest everyone?" Will asked.

"He could, but it would likely cause him more problems," Bann Teagan said. "The power of the monarch, and thus the regent, is drawn from the nobility. Even if he arrested us, the Landsmeet would go on, and he would lose all support."

"So we can force Loghain to answer for his crimes?" Alistair asked.

"Indirectly, yes," Arl Eamon said slowly, "but to do it, we will have to strike at the true source of his authority: the queen, his daughter Anora. And to do that, of course, we must have an alternative candidate."

"And who might that be?" Will asked. Arl Eamon slowly turned to look at Alistair, and soon everyone else was as well.

"Wait… me?" Alistair asked. "But I thought…"

"I cannot do it, Alistair," Arl Eamon said. "I may have a claim through marriage: my sister Rowan was the Queen before Anora, but I would be seen as an opportunist. No, we need someone of the Theirin bloodline, and with Cailin dead, that leaves only you, Alistair."

"But…" Alistair said, looking around helplessly.

"I think you'll do fine, Alistair," Zelda said. "Besides, Arl Eamon's right, so long as Loghain is regent, he will be able to stop any attempt to defeat the Blight."

"I… I guess," Alistair said.

"Thank you, Alistair," Arl Eamon said. "Now, I can start the process, but it will take some time to gather the kind of support to ensure that we are heard. Until then, I think you Wardens have the dwarves to visit?"

"That is correct," Will said.

"Then I invite you to stay the night, you must be tired from your journey from the mountains. You can set out in the morning." Everyone nodded. "Then I must take my leave, there is much to be done, Teagan, if you would come with me?" The younger brother nodded, and the pair made their way towards the Arl's office. Isolde glared at Jowan for a moment longer before heading back up, likely to speak with her son. Most of the others headed off to do other things, but Alistair and Jowan walked to Will.

"So," Jowan said, "Me, a Warden? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes," Will said. "You'll do fine." He smiled. "I still think it was a dumb decision you made, but it's a dumb decision that can help out in the long run."

"Which one? I've made so many?" Jowan said.

"Look, can I have a moment with him, alone?" Alistair said.

"Oh, right," Jowan said. "I'll just… go…"

"Talk to Wynne, she'll get you caught up on everything," Will said. Jowan nodded and quickly trotted off to find the Senior Enchanter.

"William… you realize we won't be able to put Jowan through the Joining, don't you. I have no idea the exact composition of the… stuff, we drink, just that it includes lyrium, darkspawn blood, and archdemon blood."

"That's true, but Jowan can still fight until then. Just think of it as… an extended test, like what I did in the Wilds." Will took a breath before continuing. "And Alistair, you can call me Will."

It seemed that Alistair realized the significance of that statement, as his eyes widened before a smile split his face. "I… thank you, Will," Still grinning, he made his way out of the hall.

"'Tis most strange, what you just did," Morrigan said quietly, shifting from the bird form she had been in, sitting on a window sill. "You truly are a mystery, wrathful one moment and forgiving the next. Sometimes, I do not understand you."

"I'm willing to do a lot for my friends, Morrigan," Will said. "I would have done the same for you."

"Truly? You hardly know me, and I have made little effort to endear myself to you. Why would you help me?"

"You've been an enormous help on this mess, Morrigan," When Morrigan didn't immediately respond, Will continued. "Are you ready to tell me what you've been so worried about recently? Maybe I can help."

Morrigan stared at Will for a long moment before slowly nodding. "I'm counting on it. I… finished reading the grimoire that you retrieved from the Tower… and I've found something quite disturbing." She took a deep breath. "I had long known that my mother did not die of age, and I had often wondered why. I thought it some spell, some potion… but it is not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I am not the first daughter my mother has had… and now I know why… they are Flemeth."

"What?" Will asked, thinking he had misheard.

"When my mother grows old, when her body fails, she will possess the body of her current daughter… destroying them in the process." For the first time since Will had met her, Morrigan actually looked scared. "And that is… me."

"So, what now?" Will asked. "What can I do to help?"

"I will not stand around waiting to be filled like an empty sack," Morrigan said fiercely. "My mother must be slain, and you must do it. I cannot, since she will likely possess me. Please, I need your help."

"Why not just stay away from her?" Will asked. "Surely there are other ways to avoid…"

"None so permanent as killing her," Morrigan said. "She has means of tracking me, and will use them as soon as she realizes I'm avoiding her. No, the only way to ensure that I survive is to end her." Her golden eyes flashed. "If you are feeling guilty, then don't. She has done terrible, terrible things in her long life, and will likely continue to do them should she survive. You will likely be doing the world a favor if you kill her… or do you not have the courage?"

"…What's your plan?" Will asked. Morrigan smiled, pulling a small amulet out of a pouch.

"Mother gave this to me before I left, a means of summoning her. You should recognize how it works." As Will took it, he saw a rune that vaguely resembled Elven magic carved onto the bone. "Simply take that away from civilization and activate it, and she will come. Do that, an kill her. Once she is dead, you will find a ring on her, she takes it everywhere. It is the best of her methods of tracking me, take it so that I might know that, even if she did not truly die by some sorcery, she cannot find me so easily."

"Very well," Will said.

"Thank you, Warden," Morrigan said. "The only other thing I ask is that you undertake this task alone, the others will ask too many questions."

"If they accepted me recruiting Jowan, I don't think they'll have too much trouble with this," Will said, but Morrigan shook her head.

"You have far more faith in them that I do. I remember them plotting your death after the… incident. They would have killed their only hope had the Chantry girl not had an attack of common sense and talked them down."

A quiet laugh echoed through the empty room. "I like to think of it as more than just an 'attack' of common sense, but I'll take that as a complement from you." Will and Morrigan looked up as Leliana appeared from a nearby patch of shadows, her stealth amulet's magic fading.

"It seems that it's a day for eavesdropping," Will said mildly, causing Leliana to giggle.

"Sorry, Will, force of habit."

Morrigan snorted. "And you claim to be an honorable Chantry sister. How much did you hear?"

"Just about everything," Leliana said. "I must admit, I am surprised you would jump so quickly to killing your mother, but if Will agrees to help you, I'll stand by his decision."

"You… surprise me as well," Morrigan said. "I had expected more argument." She shook her head. "No matter, stay, go, do what you like."

"She's right, Leliana. Flemeth's very powerful…"

"Then you'll need all the help you can get, Will," Leliana said quietly. "I may not be a mage, but I do know a thing or two about battle."

"Okay, just be careful, won't you?" Leliana smiled again, nodding.

"If you two are _quite_ done…" Morrigan said.

"Yes, we will return, Morrigan," Will said as he and Leliana left the room.

An hour later, as night was just beginning to fall, the pair reached a small clearing. Leliana nodded and faded back into the shadows of the trees as Will pulled out the amulet and, with a flicker of mana and will, activated it. The groves that made up the rune flared for a long moment before tapering off, leaving the bone cold and empty.

Will slowly paced, his thoughts racing. Morrigan had been disturbed, perhaps even scared, by something, that much was clear. Still, he had gotten the sense that she hadn't been telling him something. For example, she said that her mother had given her the amulet before she left, but that was improbable, since the pair hadn't been alone together after Flemeth had told Morrigan she was leaving. She had looked shocked at the time, but perhaps she had simply been acting.

But if that was the case, then she could easily be acting now, and Will suddenly realized he wasn't certain if he could tell when Morrigan lied. On the other hand, what reason would she have to lie, to send Will to kill her own mother.

And then there was the matter of Flemeth herself. Will knew next to nothing about her, when they had met he had been much weaker than he was now. Perhaps with the new insight granted by his Arcane Warrior memories would give him some information, but somehow he doubted it.

As the beating of massive bird wings filled the air, Will still hadn't decided on a course of action.

"Well well well," Flemeth said as she landed, shifting back into her human form. She wore a strange set of blood-red armor, not thick or heavy, but not leather either. Her hair had been done up as well, almost looking like a pair of horns. Her smile, however, had not changed in the slightest. "I was wondering if I would be meeting you tonight, Warden."

"Why?" Will asked, instantly wary.

"When I gave Morrigan that amulet, I did so knowing that she may well try to use it to lure me into an ambush," the old witch said. "Still, I had expected her to do a better job of it." She slowly raised a hand to her chin, and Will noted that her gloves had claw-like protrusions on the tips of the fingers. "But you seem to have come alone… Why is that…"

"…I want to talk to you before anything else," Will said, causing the witch to laugh.

"Really? Then why do you come girded for battle, your muscles coiled for the kill? No, Morrigan sent you to end my life, of that I have no doubt. It would not be the first time."

Will blinked, those words had been among the last he expected. "Why… why would she want to kill her own mother?"

"I taught her to be as she is," Flemeth said, laughing again. "Morrigan always thought she knew what's what better than I." Her eyes hardened slightly. "So, what sob story did she tell you, I wonder. What lovely tune did she play this time?"

"She told me how you extend your life," Will said. "Is it true?"

For a moment, a brief, brief moment, Will thought he might have seen surprise in Flemeth's eyes, but if it had ever been there, it was gone like fog under the bright sun of morning. "That she does, but do you? It is an old tale, the one you seek, one that I have told several times. Let us skip to the ending, do you slay me as Morrigan bids, or do you…"

"Is. It. True?" Will asked again.

"True? Why do all see the truth as nothing? No no, far better the lie, far better the comfort of blankets and shadows and mothers' love."

"Lies are fragile things, so easily broken. Truth, however, is solid enough to build a house upon," Will said coolly.

"Hmm… and here I'd thought I'd heard all the quotes there were to hear, I'll have to remember that one… or perhaps not, since it is quite foolish. Live a bit longer and think on it, perhaps you'll find some new insight in the fact that countless lies have been told and continue to be told. But enough, I have a choice for you." Will jerked his head to indicate he was listening. "Morrigan wants the ring, yes? Take it, it's right here." As she said this, Flemeth did indeed pull a ring out of her pocket and throw it on the ground at Will's feet.

"So I should betray Morrigan for you?" Will asked quietly. Flemeth simply laughed again.

"Well, what do you answer?"

"It seems that I have the choice of who to trust, you or Morrigan," Will said. "That being the case, I will take the one that I have fought beside, especially in a case like this." Spellweaver slid out of its sheath on his back. "I regret having to do this to the one who saved my life, but it will be done."

Flemeth didn't seem worried that Will had just threatened to kill her, in fact she seemed rather amused. "Well, so be it. You wish to take my life, but you must earn what you take." She closed her eyes as the glow of shapeshifting started to consume her.

Everything stopped, however, as an arrow pierced Flemeth from behind. She looked slowly down, with barely a flicker of pain on her face.

"If it is you that survives the coming battle, be sure to congratulate your archer, they evaded my eyes," she said, reaching up and pulling the arrow out before breaking it in her fist. "Still, it will take more than that to kill me, I'm afraid." The magical aura around her flared up again, and her form warped upwards.

"That's… not good…" Will muttered as Flemeth's neck extended, a tail formed, massive wings spread, and the body of another high dragon stood before him.

Flame formed in Flemeth's mouth before spewing out, washing over Will's shield. He was forced to summersault back as Flemeth leapt forward, swinging her spiked tail around in a massive stroke. Leliana was firing arrows at the wings, more to cause pain than to cause real damage. However, judging by the fact that Flemeth continued to focus her attention on Will. She must have believed that he was the only one who was a real threat to her, and she had a point. Blades of ice formed around Will, but were immediately melted. Still, this gave Will time to get out of the way of her next charge.

'Why didn't Morrigan mention her mother could turn into a bloody dragon?' Will though as he rolled out of the way of another jet of flames, desperately running through his list of spells. Even if he'd had the time to summon an Inferno, it wouldn't do any good against a dragon. His ice was simply being melted before it could do any damage, and telekinesis was simply not strong enough to damage her. It seemed Spellweaver was his only option, but he'd have to get close, which was dangerous enough against a normal dragon, but suicide when faced with one that was intelligent and used planning rather than brute force. He had to even the odds somehow…

Flemeth lunged forward again, her jaws spewing fire. Will cursed as he bent it away from himself, spiraling it around to fly back into the dragon's face, trying to blind her. She simply blinked, barreling through and smacking Will with her tail. His shield and armor took the worst of the blow, but he was still thrown back several meters. Before he could bounce himself back to his feet, Flemeth had crossed the distance again and planted a foot on the hastily erected Force Field.

'Notgoodnotgoodnotgoodnotgood notgood…'

A sudden, desperate idea flashed through Will's mind, one that had almost no chance of success, but he didn't have any other options. As the Force Field started to crack under the unbelievable pressure Flemeth was putting on it, Will braced himself to carry out his only hope. Setting his sword in place, he curled against the edge of the rapidly cracking Force Field.

* * *

><p>Leliana watched in horror as the massive claws slammed down on Will's shield and the shapeshifter started slowly crushing the young elf beneath her. She had emptied her quiver into the wings, and for all the good it had done she might as well have been throwing stones at her. There had to be something she could do… she couldn't lose Will to this…<p>

Abandoning all reason, Leliana activated her stealth and sprinted forward, drawing her twin blades as she did. Taking a running leap, she landed on Flemeth's tail and started moving up it.

Fortunately, it seemed that Flemeth was still ignoring her in favor of killing Will, which gave Leliana time to reach her body. Either that, or the tail simply wasn't sensitive enough to detect Leliana's steps, because a moment later Flemeth jerked, nearly tossing Leliana off her back and forcing her to take a dive and drive her blades into the massive wings, stopping her fall.

Flemeth slowly turned her head to look at Leliana. True to her human form, she didn't seem hurt or even angry, simply amused at the futility of the former bard's attempts. Leliana found a part of herself hating this woman, who treated a life and death battle as a game. She glared at the witch as she shifted her blades, ready to pull them out and make another jump to avoid whatever it was Flemeth was planning to use to brush her off.

A whistle from behind her told Leliana that Flemeth's tail was approaching, and she yanked herself out of the way. The tail slowed enough to not completely shatter the wing, but its spines still carved a deep groove in the membrane. Just like every other bit of damage Flemeth had taken, she ignored this in favor of aiming a bite at Leliana.

A crash filled the air, and Leliana's heart stopped as the foot that had pinned Will slammed down. Suddenly, though, Flemeth let out a shriek of pain before rearing on her hind legs. Leliana took the risk of looking, only to see Will clambering to his feet, his sword nowhere in sight, though Leliana thought she knew where it was: impaled in the foot of the dragon like a nail, and either the sheer size or the lightning enchantments cut through whatever defenses had protected her.

The sight of the shapeshifter in pain seemed to embolden Will, as he charged forward, slipping underneath Flemeth's belly before making his way to one of her hind legs. Leliana briefly wondered where he was going before he reappeared, having likely jumped off of one of Flemeth's legs to reach her other wing.

"Will! Here!" Leliana shouted, throwing one of her knives over to him. Though Flemeth tried to disrupt the throw, Will used his telekinesis to attract the blade to his hand.

The massive wings started beating, trying to dislodge to two unwanted riders, but both were able to keep their balance. Still, they were not in a position to do any battle-ending damage, and the longer the fight went on, the greater chance that she would hurt or kill one of them.

Will, it seemed, had the same idea, as he made a jump away from the wing an to the central spine ridge as soon as he had a chance before beginning to slowly crawl up to the neck.

Leliana was so busy watching him that she almost missed the whistle of the approaching tail, and although she dodged the worst of the blow, it still threw her off Flemeth's back, and as she hit the ground, a sickening _crack_ preceded a wave of pain through her left arm. She was out of the fight.

However, the distraction had given Will time to start climbing up the neck, using the numerous spikes as handholds. No matter what trick the shapeshifter attempted, Will continued his dogged advance until, finally, he reached the base of her skull.

Leliana watched as the dagger flashed in the dying light as Will buried it into one of Flemeth's eyes, eliciting another shriek of pain. A moment later, there was a brief flash of light, and Will was thrown off the head as she started thrashing wildly. As she turned her head towards Leliana, she saw a large, bleeding hole where the eye Will had stabbed used to be; larger than what the relatively small knife should have been able to inflict.

Will turned his tumble into a flip, landing on his feet. As Flemeth continued to writhe in agony, he raised his hands, a thick blue mist forming around him.

"This. Ends. Here." Leliana heard Will say as the mist formed into several large blades of ice, each about the size of a greatsword and twice as sharp. By the time Flemeth was able to think of melting the icy assault with her breath, it was already on its way, two sliding into her neck through the weaker under-scales, on into her open mouth and up through the top of her head, and a final pair into her belly. With a final cry, Flemeth fell, blood pouring from multiple wounds.

"Leliana!" Will called, running over to her and pulling off his helmet. "Are you alright?"

"My arm's broken, but otherwise, I'm alright," she said, smiling gently. "Your concern is quite touching, though." Will smiled as he reached out, his hand glowing as he ran it carefully along her arm.

"I'm not Wynne, so I can't heal it fully, but I can at least make it hurt less," he said gently. Once he was done, he carefully reached out and helped her to her feet by her good arm. "I have to grab Spellweaver and the ring Morrigan wants, will you be alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Leliana said. "I should find my bow, and can I have my dagger back?"

"Er… I kind of blew the blade up when I stabbed it in, to cause more damage." Will said. "It worked, didn't it?"

Leliana laughed "It did, and the weapon's not important. I'm just glad you're alright."

"Same to you," Will said, his smile taking on a softer, warmer quality. They remained close for a moment longer before Will turned and trotted to the massive corpse, bending down to tug his weapon from its place in Flemeth's talons. It took Leliana a few minutes to find her bow, and Will was waiting by the time she got back.

"Do you need a splint for that?" he asked, nodding to her arm.

"Probably for the best," Leliana said. Will nodded and gently got to work. Leliana couldn't help but smile as he did his best to minimize her discomfort, his brow furrowed slightly. It was strange, the new things one noticed when they started growing fond of another.

"There," Will said finally, offering his hand to support her. "Well, we should probably get out of here, before something else goes wrong."

"Yes," Leliana said, shifting her bow in her hand so she could take his offered support. "Do you think Wynne will be upset with us?"

"Probably, but since we're both alright, she'll probably forgive us." The pair laughed quietly as they made their way back towards Redcliffe.


	23. The Bloody Halls of Stone

Reviewer Response:

sineout: Well, Surana/Leliana is probably more common that Surana/Cousland, which it was for a while before I firmly settled on the Leliana romance path. Still, it's nice that you like it.

Leviathan: I read that Jowan was originally planned to be a potential Grey Warden, but they cut it due to time constraints. Besides, I like Jowan, even if he is a bit of an idiot.

jaffa3: It's alright, I'm glad you like the story enough to push me to work on it more.

david9999: I'm glad you like the story still. I do think that was one of my better chapters.

Kitsune95: Sorry it took so long to update, and I probably will do Dragon Age 2 eventually.

MonkeyEpoxy: Well, it is a novelization, so it keeps the same structure while trying to smooth out those bits that make sense in gameplay but not in "real life." And yes, I love the Dresden Files, I sometimes consider trying to write some sort of crossover for it and Dragon Age.

Guest: I'm glad you like the pacing. The Leliana romance always struck me as one of the best paced ones in the game, so I tried to carry that over to the story. Hope you continue to read.

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 22: The Bloody Halls of Stone

Jowan made his way through the halls of Redcliffe Castle towards the guest rooms, avoiding the gaze of the many guards. One or two looked like they wanted to stop him, but apparently news of his release had spread, and they weren't willing to go against Will. Still, he could feel their hateful glares, and he wondered just how much they had suffered because of his stupidity. He was grateful (and rather surprised) that Will had given him a chance to make up for his terrible mistakes, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was true that Will thought he could be useful or if he just wanted to spite the Templar, no matter what anyone else thought.

As he reached the guest area, he wasn't surprised to see Senior Enchanter Wynne talking with that Templar girl. As Jowen waited nervously for them to notice him, he wondered about her, why she hadn't seemed more angry or upset that Will had essentially went over the Templar's heads to allow a known blood mage to slip out from under her nose. That had to have been a harsh blow to take.

Finally, Wynne glanced up and saw him standing there, and a tired smile crossed her face. "Jowan," she said, stepping past the Templar and sizing him up. "I must admit, I did not think we would meet again like this. Zelda just told me what happened."

"Yeah…" Jowan said. "Will… he told me to talk to you about what's been going on. He had to talk to that other Warden… Ali something…"

"Alistair," Zelda said, stepping up to stand next to Wynne.

"I'm not surprised," Wynne said. "Still, I can't say I'm shocked at what William did for you, you were his friend, and he's loyal if nothing else."

"He was pretty angry at me when we first saw each other here," Jowan said weakly, causing Wynne to shake her head with a chuckle.

"He was always angry at you for a while after you did something he knew you'd regret later, Jowan," she said. "It was his way of showing he cared." She sighed suddenly, her eyes distant. "Jowan, before we speak about anything else, I must ask you something: did you know about what really happened to Solona?" Jowan flinched and squeezed his mouth shut, looking around nervously. "It's already… been resolved, Jowan," Wynne continued. "I just wanted to know what you knew, if there was some way I could have made things better."

"Yeah," Jowan said finally. "Will told me what happened, after making me swear never to tell anyone about it." His fists clenched automatically as he remembered his friend's face when he had pulled Jowan aside a few days after the fact. "How did you find out about it?"

"Drass and Carroll are dead," Zelda said quietly. "Once that happened, we asked him why he'd done it and he told us everything."

Jowan blinked. "Wait, what? He said he didn't know who'd done it, just that it was a pair of Templar."

"He must not have wanted you to get involved," Wynne said. "Still, while I admire your loyalty to him, and your support, I do wish that you had come to Irving or myself. Perhaps he was right, and there was nothing we could have done, but neither of you should have had to shoulder that burden alone."

Jowan nodded sadly. "I tried to talk him into it, you know," he said. "Tried to at least get him to open up to some of the others, like Anders, but he wouldn't listen."

Silence reigned for a moment before Wynne shook her head. "Well, if you're going to be fighting alongside us, you'll be needing a staff," she said. "I have a spare that I can give you. Aside from that, we should probably bring you up to date on what's happened in Ferelden while you've been here."

For the next hour, Jowan listened in stunned awe at just what his friend had been able to accomplish in the relatively short time they had been apart. To have seen a Dalish tribe, fought werewolves, learned forgotten magic not tied to blood (he had been wondering where Will had gotten that strange armor.) Then, Will had been able to find the Urn of Sacred Ashes to undo some of the damage Jowan himself had done… Was there anything that elf _couldn't_ do?

He had also been told more about the various characters that he would be working alongside, even met a few as they wandered out of the guest rooms to see who was talking. Sten the Qunari didn't say anything at all, though he may have given a small snort as he closed the door. The golem Shale was a bit more talkative, though his tendency to call Jowan "the scrawny mage" and "it" was a bit disconcerting, even after Wynne told him that Shale used unflattering nicknames for everyone. The mabari warhound that had accompanied Will before was quite friendly, constantly snuffling at Jowan's hand until he relented and gave him a pat on the head.

Throughout all of this, Wynne seemed to be getting more and more restless. She was constantly glancing back down the hall Jowan had come from, clearly waiting for something. Finally, she shook her head. "Alistair?" she called through the door of the former Templar's room "Where is William? I was hoping to have a word with him."

"I don't know," Alistair said, poking his head out. "The last I saw him was when I left him in the Hall, after we talked about Jowan joining the Wardens." He glanced around worriedly. "You mean he hasn't come back yet?"

"If he has, I haven't seen him," Wynne said, glancing back down the passage. "What could he possibly be doing at this hour? Did he say what he'd be doing?"

"No," Alistair said, stepping fully out into the hallway. "I… actually thought he'd be right behind me." He looked out the window at the moon hanging in the sky "Should we go looking for him?"

"Hmmm…" Wynne said. "Thunder, can you smell you're master?" she said to the mabari, who barked and nodded. "Let's head down to the great hall, where you last saw him, Alistair."

When they arrived, the group was surprised to see Morrigan sitting against the wall, spinning something in her hands. She rose to her feet as soon as she realized they were there.

"Morrigan, have you seen William?" Wynne asked.

"The last I saw him, he and that Chantry girl walked out that way," Morrigan said, nodding towards the front door.

Wynne blinked before a smile crossed her face. "Ah, I see," she said warmly. "Yes, I suppose this is a nice night, isn't it?" It took Jowan a moment to catch on to what the old mage was saying.

"Wait… Will has a girlfriend?" he asked, stunned.

"I think so," Wynne said. "He's certainly fond enough of Leliana, she was the only one who could get through to him in his grumpy phase, rather like Solona could." Wynne laughed at the face Jowan was making. "I know, it's a shock, isn't it. Still, I think she's good for him; she's such a sweet girl, despite everything she's been through. They make a good pair."

"But… what did Morrigan mean that she was a Chantry girl?" Jowan asked, a cold chill settling in his stomach.

"She was a ley sister at Lothering's chantry when we were there, before she volunteered to help us out," Alistair supplied. "Sure, I thought she was a bit crazy at first, but she is very nice."

All of this fell on deaf ears, however. Jowan was too busy remembering Lily, that look of horrified betrayal in her eyes as she had realized that he actually was a blood mage… Slowly, mechanically, Jowan turned and walked away, ignoring the questions from behind him. He didn't stop walking until he reached his room and threw himself down on the empty bed.

He knew that he would never forget Lily; no matter what anyone though, he had truly loved her. She had been so sweet, so kind… as he'd sat in the chapel, trying to reconcile his newfound blood magic with what the Maker taught, she had been there for him. She probably had though that he was simply going through a crises due to normal magic, he wouldn't have been the first. They had… connected, over their feeling of being trapped. Lily had been given to the Chantry as a child, by parents who couldn't afford to keep her, and she had confided in him that she sometimes wondered whether she should try to find them, let them know she was alright. It had all started so innocently, just two souls finding solace in friendship.

He didn't know what had happened that evening, when he had told her what he really felt about her. She had been putting out the last of the candles around the statue of Andraste, leaving only the eternal flame to burn. She had looked at him, a laugh on her lips as she told some story or other, he couldn't remember what it had been about. She had been so beautiful, the light reflecting just so in her hair, and those three immortal words had just slipped out.

He had been sure she'd hate him after that, so he'd started to make a break for the door, only for her to get there first. She had made him repeat himself at least three times before she had truly accepted what he had said. And then… and then she had smiled, and told him that she felt the same way. They had kissed… He'd thought she understood him…

He shook his head, trying to drive thoughts of those days from his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. A flash of harsh jealousy flashed through him as he thought about Will and his infinitely more understanding girlfriend. Immediately afterwards, regret filled him; it wasn't Will's fault that he'd driven Lily away with his own stupidity.

Jowan didn't know how long he lay there, his mind wrapped up in would-haves and might-have-beens, but eventually there was a knock on his door, and Zelda's voice drifted through, "Jowan?" For a moment, Jowan considered telling the Templar to go away and leave him alone, but eventually he rose and went to open the door.

"Wynne asked me to give you this," the Templar said, handing him a staff as soon as the door was open. Jowan nodded, leaning the staff against the doorframe. As he started to close the door, Zelda continued. "Can I speak with you?"

Again, Jowan thought about telling her to go away, but eventually he decided it wouldn't be prudent to annoy her, so he nodded. "You were thinking about Lily, weren't you," Zelda said after a moment. "She was my friend, back at the Tower, you know." Jowan flinched, expecting an angry denunciation, but was surprised when Zelda simply sighed. "I knew she had someone special in her life, and I rather suspected it was a mage, but I tolerated it because of how… happy she was."

As the Templar drifted off into her own thoughts, Jowan finally had to ask something he had been wondering about. "Why didn't you argue against my joining the Wardens?" he asked. "I'm everything a Templar hates in a mage…"

"There are worse things in the world that blood mages, especially ones like you," Zelda said quietly. "Besides, William makes some good points. Ultimately, though, it is because I choose to trust you. Just, please try to avoid using blood magic when you can, for the sake of my nerves."

Jowan blinked, her words were just about the last ones he had expected to hear from a Templar. After a moment, however, he nodded. "I will. Thank you."

Zelda nodded back and turned to leave. "I'll leave you to rest," she said.

Before she could leave, however, Jowan had to ask one last question. "What happened to Lily?" he whispered. "Will didn't know, but…"

"She was sent to Aeonar," Zelda said, not turning around. "But it's not as bad as it sounds. The Chantry protects it own from mages, even those they consider corrupted. Those members of the Chantry that are imprisoned are kept separate from the mages and abominations: she should be relatively safe." With that, she left, making her way back to her own room

"That is… good to hear," Jowan said to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, about halfway between the site of Flemeth's death and Redcliffe castle, two people were laughing as they walked slowly so as to avoid aggravating the girl's broken arm. Will had just gotten through telling one of the more amusing stories of his time in Kinloch; when Jowan and himself had played a successful prank on Enchanter Ivan, aka Ivy involving dinner, several pots of honey, and the feathers of the birds the roosted around the tower.<p>

"I think just about everyone knew it was us, but since Ivy couldn't prove it, he was forced to let it go," Will said. "True, he deliberately tried to fail us in his class for the next few years, but ne could never quite manage it."

As she laughed, Leliana gazed at the elf walking beside her. He had removed his helmet, letting it hang at the small of his back. His brown hair had grown out from the short, strict cut it had been in when they had first met in that tavern in Lothering, leading to Will tying it back in a small ponytail to keep it out of his way. The more she looked at it, the more she had to admit that it fit him. His face had changed a little as well, though Leliana admitted it was hard to describe.

"Is there something on my face?" Will asked suddenly, his blue eyes shining with mirth.

"I…" Leliana said, feeling her cheeks flush. Before she could come up with some words to sooth her flaming cheeks, she found herself stumbling over a pile of rocks that she had missed in the darkness.

A moment later, she was steadied by Will's hand, carefully gripping her shoulder rather than her injured arm. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, smiling at the concerned note in his voice. "Thank you for catching me."

"Of course," Will said "You've been there to catch me in more ways than one." He turned to look back at the path ahead, though his hand stayed on her shoulder. "I'm… really glad you wanted to come along to fight the Blight with us."

"So am I," Leliana said. "It has been trying sometimes, but if I hadn't come, there's so much I wouldn't have seen or known." She felt the flush return to her cheeks as she turned her eyes upwards, looking for a distraction. "The stars are bright tonight, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," Will said, glancing up himself.

"I've always loved looking at the stars," Leliana said. "There are so many stories written up there." Almost unconsciously, she pointed out a certain cluster. "Like that group of starts, over there? Do you know their story?"

Will cocked his head. "I know a story about those stars," he said. "But it's probably not the same one. It's an old Arlathian legend; about two lovers."

A slight warmth passed through Leliana. "Could you tell me? I always enjoy learning new stories."

"Well, in the days of Arlathan, many elves were spread throughout countless villages rather than living in cities such as Arlathan," Will said, keeping his eyes on the star cluster. "They wished to remain closer to the nature that they loved, rather than dwell in the splendid yet artificial nature of the cities. This was their choice, and no attempt was ever made to force them back. The legend of those stars starts in one of those villages, where two elves lived as husband and wife: Aragorn and Arwen. They lived in great happiness for many centuries, but one day a mighty dragon flew over their village."

"Oh my…" Leliana whispered.

"Now, this was not unusual, and there were many enchantments around the village to prevent the dragon from noticing it, since the elves wished no harm on the majestic creatures, but as fate would have it, Arwen happened to be outside these barriers when the dragon came, and she was spotted." Leliana gasped, and Will nodded. "The dragon was hungry, so it swooped down to claim her, but Aragorn happened to be near the edge of the village and saw everything. He was not a warrior elf, but the sight of his beloved in danger awoke the power in his heart. Grabbing a staff, made only of wood, without any hint of lyrium or enchantments, he rushed out to confront the dragon."

"Now, the dragon was a mighty creature, to be certain, but in that hour, it could not match the will of Aragorn, and after a titanic battle of magic and fire, he slew the creature, after giving it countless chances to fly away. However, in its last moment, the dragon bit Aragorn and expelled the last of its fire, mortally wounding. Arwen did everything she could, but he died in her arms. Distraught, she turned her eyes to the gods, and prayed to be reunited with her love. Such was her plea that Falon-Din, friend of the dead, heard her and came to her side. He told her that, if she were to go to his temple and sleep for eternity, she would meet Aragorn again. As proof of his promise, he shifted the stars that had just come over the horizon. 'If the stars themselves can come together, surely souls with a bond as strong as yours can as well.' Arwen immediately agreed, and entered Uthenera the next night, where she met again with her love, and they remained together for all eternity."

"How beautiful," Leliana said. "And how curious, for the story I know about those stars is quite similar."

"Truly?" Will said. "Will you tell it to me?"

"Of course," Leliana said. "My story is and old Orleasian one about a woman named Alindra and her beloved soldier. Alindra was a beautiful woman, but she prided herself on her lovely soul more than her lovely face. However, she had a problem: he high-born father wished her married and thus invited many suitors to woo her, but she could not love any of them, for she knew that they were shallow men, wanting her only for her body or the wealth she would get them through her father."

"One day, she was sitting at her window, singing, she was noticed by a common soldier, who approached her and spoke to her. Over time, they grew close, eventually, they came to love each other, for the common soldier was everything her suitors wasn't: brave, humble, and interested in her as a person, rather than simply a way to get ahead. Eventually, Alindra became convinced that this soldier was the one with whom she wanted to spend her life."

Will nodded. "I'm guessing neither her father nor her suitors were happy with that particular decision," he said. Leliana nodded sadly.

"Oh, her father was furious when she told him. He demanded that she never speak to this soldier again, but she refused, for she loved him more than any other. In his rage, Alindra's father had her imprisoned in one of the towers of his castle and sent the soldier to the most violent war he could find. Of course, the soldier was eventually killed, and Alindra's father wasted no time in informing her of this decision. 'Were this man suitable, the gods would have saved him' he said. In despair, Alindra, like the Arwen in your story, turned her eyes to the heavens to be reunited with her lost love."

"And like Falon-Din, Alindra's gods answered her, didn't they," Will said.

"Yes, they did. The gods took Alindra into their arms and placed her into the sky as a star, but she was still separated from her love. So she cried, and her tears became themselves stars, and she was eventually able to climb a ladder of tears to be with her love again."

The pair remained silent for a long minute before Leliana continued. "I wonder if there is some connection between the two stories? It seems odd that two cultures, separated by so much, would attach such a similar story to the same set of stars."

Will nodded. "That's possible, I suppose, Elements of Arlathian society survived, even after the Tevinter Imperium destroyed most of it." He shrugged. "Or it could just be that that particular bridge of stars inspires thoughts of a love that can transcend all things. It is the type of story people would be drawn too, hope even in the face of death. Because that's what love is, isn't it," Will murmured, almost to himself. "A bridge between people, something that allows them to be together, even when physically apart."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Leliana said.

Will looked at Leliana, and she noticed he actually… looked nervous, for the first time she could remember. Suddenly, his eyes flicked to something on the side of the path they were walking along. "Just a moment, Leliana," he said, moving past her and crouching down. She looked over to see what he'd noticed, only for him to rise, holding several flowers.

"These are Andraste's Grace," he said. "I remember you saying that they were your mother's favorites…" slowly, he held them out to her. "Would you please accept them?"

"Of course," Leliana said, gently taking them in her good hand and bringing them to her face. The smell was unmistakable. "I'm so happy that you remembered!"

"You're words meant a lot to me, Leliana, even if I didn't always show it," Will said. "More than that… Leliana, you mean a lot to me. Countless others would have abandoned me, after what I've done, and I probably would have deserved it, but you've stuck with me." There was a definite flush on his face. "What I'm trying to say is… Leliana… I love you."

Leliana's heart leapt, and she could feel her own face warming. "Say that again, Will," she breathed. "Please…"

"I love you, Leliana," Will said. "You mean so much to me…"

"Oh, Will!" Leliana squealed, rushing forward and wrapping her arm around Will. "I love you to! Oh, thank you, thank you!" Unable to restrain herself, she pressed her lips against his, and tingled as he responded to her kiss.

Neither of them knew how long they stood there, wrapped in each other's presence. Finally, however, they had to separate. "We should get back," Will said. "The others must be wondering what happened to us." Leliana nodded, and the pair continued on the path back to Redcliffe, though their hands remained together.

Wynne was waiting for them when they reached the main hall, but she had a smile on her face. "Well, I was wondering when you two would make it back," she said, but jerked at the sight of Leliana's arm. "What happened? I thought you two had just gone for a walk."

Leliana glanced at Morrigan, who was sitting off to one side. A part of her wanted to get the witch in trouble with Wynne, but she pushed that bit down, though she couldn't completely explain why. Probably because it would cause Will trouble as well. "I… tripped," she said. "Will bandaged me up, but can you make it better?"

The elder mage clearly knew that Leliana was hiding something, but seemed to decide that it wasn't worth the effort of dragging a confession out. "Come here, then," she said, holding out her hand.

As Leliana went to Wynne, she noticed Will go over to Morrigan, likely to give her the ring. She was distracted, however, when Wynne removed Will's splint and set to work.

"Flowers, hmm?" she said, nodding to the flowers that Leliana was still holding. "Andraste's Grace. An interesting choice, on Will's part."

"I mentioned that my mother liked them, and that they reminded me of her," Leliana said, flushing again.

"That's sweet of him," Wynne said. "It's good to see that you two are doing well," She finished mending Leliana's arm and gave it a pat. "There, good as new. Still, next time, you should be more careful. Some things are best kept to… more stable areas, though I can understand your wish for some… privacy."

It took Leliana a long moment to realize what Wynne was talking about. When she did, however, her face turned beet red. "_Wynne_!" she squealed, causing the old mage to laugh.

* * *

><p>Will paused as he and Thunder reached the top of the most recent rise on the path up to the doors of Orzammar, glancing back to see where everyone was.<p>

Morrigan, had recently returned from her most recent flight to tell him the path was clear. She had been much warmer after Will returned to tell her of Flemeth's death, and had even concented to move her little tent a little closer to the rest of the camp. This may also have had something to do with Thunder, whom she seemed to have developed a grudging liking for, despite the rabbit incident that she had made him swear never to mention to anyone else on pain of death.

Morrigan wasn't the only one who had come closer; as they walked, Will and Leliana had spent as much time together as they could, talking about simple things. Sometimes, there was some pain as Will would remember a time he had been almost this close to another girl, but that faded every time he saw her smile. Everyone in the party knew about their affection, but aside from a gentle lecture from Wynne, a few jokes from Alistair, and a huff or two from Morrigan, they didn't comment much.

Will also tried to spend time with Jowan, showing him various tricks so that he would be better prepared for the inevitable battles they would face. Even without resorting to his blood magic, the older mage was becoming a force to be reckoned with. His main elements remained fire and earth, but he had begun developing a mastery of Entropy that almost rivaled Morrigan's. Wynne was also teaching new Warden recruit, and even Morrigan could be seen giving him grudging bits of advice every now and then.

Finally, Will tried to pick Shale's mind ever now and then, hoping that proximity to his old home would open up some new paths in his memories. So far, however, the golem's amnesia remained firmly in place, preventing any real progress. Still, the stone warrior seemed to be developing a greater tolerance of Will, admitting that "it might not be quite as squishy as the other meatbags."

The party was as close as they had ever been, which was good, because Will had a feeling that they would find nothing but problems at Orzammar.

"You're being paranoid," Alistair had said when Will had voiced this concern over dinner. 'Sure, we've had trouble at the Dalish and the Circle, but the dwarves have always been a stable bunch. I heard they worship the stone, so I doubt anything's wrong there.'

"I hope you're right, Alistair," Will murmured to himself as he drew himself back to the present. Thunder glanced up at him before pressing his head against Will's hand, begging to be pet. Will obliged, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up.

"Sorry, Warden," Bodahn said as the cart clattered to a halt. "The old girl's not used to going up these steep paths."

"That's alright," Will said. "I'm glad you two decided to stick with us, you could have stayed in Redcliffe."

"Well, my boy and I still owe you for saving us at Lothering," Bodahn said, smiling. "I just wish we could do more,"

"Don't say that," Leliana said. "Sandel's enchantments have been wonderful, and having a cart to carry supplies has been wonderful."

"Enchantment!" the younger dwarf called happily, clapping.

"Well, I'm afraid we won't be able to follow you into Orzammar," Bodahn said. "Remember what I told you about my leaving…"

"Yes," Will said. "You'll be alright on the surface?"

"Of course," Bodahn said. "There's quite a collection of dwarves around the entrance, we'll blend in. It'll give my boy and I time to sell some of the wares we've pick up around you all."

Will nodded. "Well, if this map's right, then the entrance to the city should be just over this rise. We're almost there." Everyone nodded, and a minute later they were in the middle of the encampment that Bodahn had mentioned.

As the two dwarves made their way to an empty spot near the door, Will led the rest over to the grand ramp leading up to a massive set of doors that marked the entrance of Orzammar. To his surprise, there was already a group of humans in armor who seemed to be having an argument with a single dwarf that was standing just inside a smaller door.

"As King Loghain's appointed messenger, I demand an audience with the Assembly!" the leader of the group proclaimed in a high, annoying tone that immediately got on Will's nerves.

The dwarf huffed, rubbing an armored gauntlet against his forehead. "I'll give you the same answer today that I gave you yesterday, and the day before that, all the way back to when you first dragged your carcass up here," he said after a long moment. "You cannot enter. That answer is not going to change anytime soon, so you can either wait quietly or leave. For my sake, please make it the latter."

"How dare you!" Loghain's messenger shouted. "I have waited for weeks and weeks to meet with your Assembly, and I will wait no longer!"

"You said that yesterday," the dwarf shot back. "And you're going to say it again tomorrow, aren't you. By the Stone, why me…"

"Is this a bad time?" Will asked, waving the others back as he advanced.

"Oh, not another one…" the poor dwarf muttered.

"Unless you have business more important than that of King Loghain, step aside," the annoying human said, looking down his nose at Will.

"Well, I'm actually afraid I do," Will said. "My name is William Surana, and I come in the name of the Grey Wardens, who are in need of our traditional dwarven allies."

That certainly got everyone's attention. The dwarf, who had looked like he was about to slam the door in everyone's face, perked up and studied Will with a new interest. Loghain's people, meanwhile, started muttering among themselves as their leader looked like he was about to have a fit.

"Do you have any proof of your claim?" the dwarf asked, his voice much more interest than it had been a moment before. Will quickly handed over his Warden pendant and the treaty to the door guard, who studied them intently.

"You dare show your face around here?!" Loghain's messenger shouted, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword before glancing at the dwarf, who glared at him before

looking back at Will's proof. "You are a sworn enemy of King Loghain!"

"I don't get that," Will said. "Last I heard he had just murdered King Cailin and declared himself Regent. What, has he gone and gotten Queen Anora killed as well and taken the crown for himself?"

The man's face turned beet red. "You dare insult King Loghain?! I, Imrek…"

"Ahem." Both Will and Imrek looked down at the dwarf, who handed Will his treaty and pendant back. "I've seen enough Grey Warden pendants to know that that's no fake, and the treaty's something only the Assembly can discuss, especially in a time of Blight." Will blinked, he hadn't mentioned that a Blight was going on. Noticing, the dwarf chuckled. "There haven't been nearly as many attacks down here as normal, we know what's going on."

"Enough!" Imrek shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Will. "In the name of King Loghain, I, his messenger, demand that you arrest this… this _stain_ on the honor of Ferelden!"

"I don't care if you're the king's wiper!" the dwarf said, turning his cold eyes on Imrek. "I will not raise my blade against a Grey Warden, I have too much respect for their order." He glanced at Will. "If you wish, you can enter and leave this fool behind, or you can deal with him now. I can't set foot outside this door, so you'll be on your own…"

"I'll be fine. Thanks, though," Will said before turning to Imrek. "Look, I don't like you, so I'll give you a simple choice. Walk away and live…" Will drew Spellweaver. "Or fight and die. You're choice."

"You dare!" Imrek said, drawing his own blade. "I'll stamp out your treachery here and now!"

"Don't spill blood on the stone, okay," the dwarf muttered, slamming the door shut.

Will nodded. "Well, if you want a fight, let's take it on the grass." As he said this, he stepped past the rest of the party. "You all stay here, I'll deal with this myself. There are only six of them."

"Are you sure, Will?" Leliana said. "I know you're strong, but..." She shook her head. "Just be careful, won't you."

"Of course," Will said, kissing her on the cheek before twirling Spellweaver and stepping off the ramp to meet his foes, who had formed a semi-circle around the base of the ramp.

A moment later, Imrek and all six of his companions jumped at Will, their weapons flashing. Will easily met them blow for blow, occasionally using bits of magic to knock them into each other. As he did this, he picked them off, one by one, until only Imrek was left.

"Anything you want to say?" Will asked, shifting Spellweaver.

"Damn you!" Imrek shouted, lunging forward, only to impale himself on Will's blade as his own was blocked by an Arcane Shield.

"Wrong thing to say," Will said, yanking his blade out and making his way back to the door, cleaning his weapon off.

"Impressive, Warden," the door guard said. "And thank you, that fool has been bothering me for weeks, trying to get in."

"What happened?" Will asked. "I know he was annoying, but why didn't you let him in?"

The dwarf sighed, running a hand across his forehead. "Warden… Our king is dead."

Almost everyone jerked in shock. "What?! How!? When!?"

Morrigan, however, snorted. "Alistair, I seem to remember you saying something very amusing about not running into any problems…"

"Shut up, Morrigan! What do we do now?" Alistair muttered.

"We go to the Assembly and plead our case," Will said.

"Well, Warden, you can try, but the Assembly's become deadlocked, I don't know how much help you will find in there." With that, the massive doors of Orzammar were opened, allowing the party in.

As Shale stomped by, the dwarves gasped. "Warden, where did you get a golem? There are so few left…"

"Shale follows of his own will," Will said. "Please try not to bother him too much, he gets grouchy."

"I am not grouchy," Shale said. "I simply do not like flesh creatures pawing at me." Will rolled his eyes but didn't comment as the party began the trek down a long, dark spiral staircase. Finally, however, they stepped out into a hall filled with massive statues and lit by countless flameless lights.

"These must be the Paragons…" Wynne said. "I read about them, but I never thought I'd actually see the Hall of Heroes."

"Surfaces?" a voice said, and Will looked around to see a group of dwarf women standing nearby, staring at him in shock. "I thought non were allowed in…"

"And they have a golem…" another dwarf whispered back.

Will took a step closer. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find the Assembly?" The women glanced at each other nervously.

"Yes… just through that door, to the right, and in the Diamond Quarter, you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Will said, leading the way through the hall of statues and out the door into the main area of Orzammar.

"Wow…" several people whispered, and Will couldn't blame them. In stark contrast to the dim, cramped areas that they had seen so far, this massive space was well lit by _lava flows_, of all things. Hundreds of dwarves milled around, shopping, talking, and doing other tasks. It was certainly breathtaking.

As the party slowly made their way towards the Diamond Quarter, Will's ear twitched at the sound of raised voices. Quickly signaling to the others, he made his way to a slightly out-of-the-way portion of the market.

Two clusters of dwarves, many carrying weapons and armor, were in the middle of a confrontation. In front of one group was an older dwarf, wearing noble cloths rather than armor. "It is the Assembly that elects a king," he said, his experienced voice laced with anger. "And a King that nominates his successor. Nothing is carried in the blood."

Across from him, a dwarf wearing heavy armor snarled. "That's all well and good, except when someone tries to use the Assembly to pull a coup! Who knows what my father said in his last moments, when the usurper Harrowmont was the only one at his side!"

"I have already told the Assembly what your father said: that you must never succeed him. Especially after what happened to your elder brothers…"

"How dare you!" the prince shouted.

"Deshyrs, restrain yourselves!" a guard shouted, storming over. "I will not stand by while Bhelen incites a riot!"

One of the Prince's men grabbed his axe and roared in rage. "You will not speak that way about the man who should be king!" With that, he lunged quickly forward, hooking the unfortunate guard's leg and tripping him up before raising his axe for a killing blow.

Will, however, was faster, and crossed the distance in the blink of an eye to grab the axe's haft. "Surely that's a bit excessive," he said, though he did nothing to disguise the anger he knew was etched onto his face.

"Who are you?!" Bhelen snarled. "Unhand my man at once! How did you get in here?!"

"I am a Grey Warden, Prince," Will said. "And I will defend the lives of innocents." Everyone jerked.

"A Warden? Here?" Harrowmont asked. "We had heard that your order was wiped out…"

"Not all of us," Will said, letting go of the axe and taking a step back. "I've come about the Blight, seeking assistance from Orzammar as per a treaty signed after the Fourth Blight."

"We will have to discuss this in the Assembly, which will reconvene soon," Harrowmont said, glancing at Bhelen. "If this little debate is finished, we should be heading back."

Bhelen bristled at Harrowmont's condescending tone, but he didn't seem to think that it was worth irritating Will. Instead, he stomped off, followed by his band.

"I apologize that you had to see that," Harrowmont said. "Bhelen is so…" Apparently, he didn't know quite what Bhelen was, as he nodded to his men and turned to leave. "I'll see you at the Assembly, Warden."

"Yeah, see you there," Will said before leaning down to help the guard to his feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," he said. "Although I wouldn't be the first guard to die recently… this city's really gone to the nugs."

"How bad is it?" Will asked.

"Citizens are dying in the street," the guard said.

"That bad, huh," Will said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Well, unless you can magically force everyone to agree for a while, then no, I'm afraid not." He sighed. "You should go to the Assembly, do what you need to do. Atrast tunsha, Grey Warden." Will nodded respectfully back and made his way after Harrowmont and Bhelen. It wasn't long before the party reached another massive door, studded with diamonds. It didn't take a sign to tell where this led. Soon, and after asking directions from several nervous nobles, Will was standing outside the Assembly Hall, arguing with the guard.

"Before you can go in, you must be announced, Grey Warden or no," the guard said.

"Well go and announce me, please," Will said. "It's important."

"I cannot announce you, only the Steward of the Assembly can do that, and he is directing the current session. I will inform him when he exits, and then you will be announced in the next session."

"And how long will that be?" Will asked, trying to suppress his frustration.

Before the guard could answer, a gong rang inside the hall. "It just ended. If you'll follow me…" Will nodded, and the pair made their way over to a haggard looking dwarf.

"Those fools…" the dwarf, likely the Steward, muttered before he glanced up. "Who is this?"

"A Grey Warden, Lord Steward, here to petition the Assembly," the guard said.

"Well, it will make a change of pace, if nothing else," the Steward muttered before smiling at Will. "So, Sir Warden, as I'm sure you know, I am the Steward of the Assembly. I direct discussion and prevent arguments from getting out of hand… though that has been quite difficult recently. " He shook his head. "But enough of my problems, how do you wish to be announced to the Assembly?"

"What do you mean?"

"What rank do you wish to be announced by? Warden Commander? Name?"

Will blinked several times before answering. "Will it shift their opinion of me, depending on my title?"

"They are more likely to listen to you the higher your rank, so long as you can support it," the Steward said. "So, what is your answer."

'Well, I suppose, since I'm the elected leader of tall the Wardens in Ferelden and I've invoked the Right of Conscription, I guess I can claim the title of Warden Commander' Will thought before giving his answer.

"Very good, Sir Warden," the Steward said. "Now, if you'll wait over there, I'll end the recess and announce you. I'm afraid your companions will have to wait here, or go to the viewing booth if they wish to observe."

"We'll do that," Alistair said. "Good luck, Will." With that, they made their way to a set of stares off to one side. Will and the Steward, meanwhile, went to the main door.

"Just a moment," the Steward said as he pushed open the door and made his way in and called out in a loud voice. "Deshyrs, lords, and ladies of the Assembly. If it pleases you, I hereby end our recess." There was a murmur of consent. " And now, I bring another matter before you. As the Steward of the Assembly, I recommend we acknowledged an appeal other than the matter of the crown, for it is my belief that the issue is of some urgency. A Grey Warden has entered our city, and wishes to speak to the Assembly. Who seconds this?"

"I do," several voices called.

The Steward continued "Very well, the motion to hear the words of the Grey Warden has passed. I hereby present William Surana, Commander of the Grey of Ferelden."

Will took a deep breath and entered the Assembly chamber, a round, tiered room filled with noble dwarves, all murmuring and whispering.

"Sir Warden, we will now hear your case," the Steward said, retreating to a chair just out of the central circle.

'Great, a speech,' Will thought, but forced a smile on his face. "Deshyrs, lord, and ladies of the Assembly," he said. "Thank you for hearing my request. As you are aware, the Fifth Blight has begun. I apologize for coming here when Orzammar has problems of its own, but the surface has forgotten, or chosen to ignore, the threat that the Darkspawn pose. The Grey Wardens are in need of their traditional allies, the only warriors who have fought the Darkspawn as much if not more than we have. Please, I ask that you honor the treaty made after the Fourth Blight, and aid us in our time of need." Will really didn't know what else to say, so he waited for the Assembly to speak.

After a moment, one of the deshyrs raised her voice. "This treaty, is there any mention of it in the Memories?" she asked, looking towards an old dwarf sitting near the door.

"There is," the dwarf said instantly. "As soon as I heard that a Warden had entered the city, I surmised that this was the purpose he had come for." He gestured towards a stack of thin stone tablets at his side. "I have the text of the treaty, if the Assembly wishes to see it." Several dwarves nodded, and the old dwarf nodded to two younger companions to begin distributing the tablets.

Will glanced at the Steward to see if he should speak, but the dwarf shook his head quietly. Will swallowed as he waited for the

"Well," one of the members of the Assembly said. "Everything seems to be in order. Let it not be know that the city of Orzammar breaks its promises. I motion that we send orders to our armies to begin preparations."

'Is this it?' Will though, a hopeful smile reaching his face. 'Are things going to go right for once?'

"Objection!" another deshyr shouted. "This treaty compels us to do nothing! It was the king of Orzammar that signed it, and since there is no king at the present time, it is not binding until someone sits on the throne.. Our forces cannot afford to leave until the matter of the throne is settled!"

Tense murmurs filled the room, and Will's hopes remained in place a moment longer, but as the voices began turning from shock to thoughtfulness, even agreement, he sighed. 'Of course, that would be too damn simple, wouldn't it?'

"Order! Order!" the Steward shouted. "There will be order in this Assembly." As the murmurs died down, the Steward turned to the old dwarf from before. "Shaper of Memories, is the honorable Lord Meino correct in his assumption as to the nature of the treaty?"

"He is," the Shaper said. "Being a treaty of a military nature, it is the King who is bound by it, as he is the leader of Orzammar's armies." He looked up. "However, if the Assembly wills it, a temporary High General can be named to command our forces to aid the Wardens in their time of need."

"And what is to stop that person from demanding the crown after the crisis has passed?" another lord shouted. "And while Orzammar's defenses are away, who's to stop the usurper…"

"We are not discussing the matter of the crown at the present time!" the Steward shouted, but the damage had already been done. The various deshyrs were now all carrying one, each trying to be heard over the sound of each others voices. The Steward shook his head and grabbed a small hammer leaning against a gong and rang the massive instrument several times.

"Let the matter be put to a vote," he said, his voice weary. "I put forward the measure to appoint a temporary High Commander, the exact person to be named later. A vote of yes or no will suffice."

Will knew how the vote was going to go before the first voice was raised. No after no came down, with only the occasional yes to break the pattern. He noticed both Harrowmont and Bhelen voted for him, but he also had an idea why they did that.

"I'm sorry, Warden," the Steward said quietly. "Be assured, that once the matter of the crown has been decided, you will have your allies."

"Yes," Will said, letting some of the bitterness in his heart leak into his voice. "I only wonder if there will be anyone left to save when you've reached that conclusion." With that, he turned and stalked out of the chamber, unwilling to look at the Assembly any longer.

The others met him in the entrance hall "I don't believe this!" Alistair said, his voice shaking in uncharacteristic rage. "Those weasels… those…"

A cough came from behind Will, and he turned to see the Shaper of Memories standing there. "Sir Warden… I wish to apologize," he said. "I am honor bound to speak only the truth, no matter what the Assembly will make of it." He raised a hand as Will opened his mouth. "However, all hope is not lost. My knowledge of the Memories is vast, but it is possible that there is some minor law that I have… overlooked. The Shaperate is open to you, Sir Warden, and there is a guest room that you may use as long as you are in the city."

"Thank you," Will said, forcing another smile onto his face. "We'll take a look."

* * *

><p>Almost an hour of searching through the Shaperate's memories and questioning the various record-keepers, however, yielded nothing but disappointment. As the party re-gathered in the back room that the Shaper of Memories had granted them, Will couldn't help but fear that the only way he would get any allies among the dwarves was to risk alienating a large proportion of them by backing either Bhelen or Harrowmont as king, so that the treaty would <em>finally<em> take effect.

Some amusement had come when a group of the Shapers had approached him with a proposition to buy Shale. Unfortunately for them, the golem had hear them, and he had yelled at them for almost fifteen minutes before Will was able to convince him that they hadn't known any better and that they would never treat him like that again. Still, the stone man had stormed off to the privacy of the room, grumbling about flesh creatures and their delusions of superiority.

'That's probably exactly what they want us to do,' he though coldly. 'They know we can't afford to just wait, so they try to force our hand.'

"I just don't get it!" Alistair muttered furiously, tossing another piece of parchment onto the stack in the center of the table and burying his face in his hands. "Is it really so difficult for them to just put aside their own differences and help us fight the Blight? I mean, none of them have denied that it's happening!"

"Dwarven politics are based on deception and mistrust, and quite often blood." Leliana said wearily. "Neither of the candidates seem willing to release any of the warriors that their faction commands." She raised a hand as Alistair opened his mouth. "I know, Alistair, it's stupid and shortsighted, but it's their way, and we'll simply have to find a way around their paranoia."

Will nodded slowly, his eyes distant. He was _tired_ of this, tired of arriving at one of the Warden's allies, people he was relying on to help him save countless lives, only to find them so wrapped up in their own problems that they were paralyzed until he fixed the problem for them. This, however, was even more frustrating because of how avoidable it was. The Circle had been on the brink of destruction, and though Zathrian had always had the power to save his tribe, it was understandable that he would need to be nudged in the right direction. The dwarves, however, were just being stubborn idiots. Didn't they understand that their little city couldn't survive if Ferelden was completely overrun?

He jumped slightly as a hand started running itself along his shoulder, only to relax as he realized it was just Leliana. He smiled gratefully at her before flipping the latest tablet on treaty law over, hoping that there might be some answers on the other side.

Before he could start reading, however, a soft knock was heard, and everyone turned towards the door. "Sir Wardens?" the gently voice of one of the youngest Shapers asked nervously. "Are you in need of some refreshments?"

"That would be greatly appreciated," Will said as the rest of the group nodded. A moment later, the young dwarf pushed the door open and entered, followed by several of his fellows bearing trays.

"I am sorry we could not be of more assistance in your search, good sirs," the Shaper said, bowing. "Still, we stand ready to give you whatever knowledge you might require." His eyes, like the eyes of every dwarf they had met, lingered on Shale for a moment before he turned and ushered the others out.

"Well, at least some dwarfs seem to be interested in helping," Jowan said as he started picking at his food. These words had hardly died when someone else started knocking, this time more insistently.

"Sir Wardens, there are… people who wish to speak with you," the same dwarf from before said, his voice shaking slightly. "They… insist it's urgent. Will you…"

"I'll see who it is," Will said, rising to his feet and making his way to the door. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

As he had expected, there were two groups of armed and armored dwarfs standing in the central area of the Shaperate, glaring hatefully at each other but unwilling to violate the neutrality of this place (or to earn Will's displeasure.) One group had the crest of the Aeducans stamped on their armor, and many also bore the mark of the palace guard. The others were predictably aligned with House Harrowmont. As soon as Will stepped out of the room, the two leaders, whom had taken of their helmets, immediately stepped forward.

"Sir Warden!" they said at the same time, only to glare at each other, both refusing to let the other get the first word in.

"Why don't we step inside," Will said quickly, gesturing to both of them. After a moment, they both nodded and stepped forward, both trying to get to the door first without appearing to hurry. Will let a brittle smile cross his face as he held the door open, subtly waving the others to take their hands off their weapons. Finally, after a moment of shuffling at the door, both of the dwarves were seated across from each other at one end of the table. "Now, what brings you here?" Will asked, as if he didn't already know.

This time, Bhelen's subordinate was able to speak first, forcing Harrowmont's man to remain silent. "Lord Warden, I come bearing Prince Bhelen's sincere greetings, Sir Warden," he said, his smile not reaching his eyes. "I also must apologize for the shameful display in the Assembly. Prince Bhelen, of course, remains committed to ending the Darkspawn threat…"

"Bah," the Harrowmont dwarf said. "Lord Meino was the first to speak against the Warden's sensible proposal, and everyone knows that he's in Bhelen's pocket. He wouldn't eat without the Prince's permission."

Will raised his hand as Bhelen's supporter snarled and opened his mouth. "Please, let's not fight," he said, lacing his voice with enough ice to make it clear he would brook no disagreement. "However this situation came about, I believe we all wish it resolved, do we not?" Both dwarves nodded quickly. "Now, might I know you're names?"

"Of course," Harrowmont's man said. "I am Dulin Forenden, Lord Harrowmont's loyal assistant, and this is…"

"I am perfectly capable of introducing myself," the other dwarf said acidly before turning his smile on Will. "Greetings, my name is Vartag Gavorn, second to the Prince and true…"

"It is my pleasure to meet both of you," Will said. "Now, I'm sure you've both come to offer some suggestion of how we can overcome this unfortunate delay with the honoring of the treaty?"

"Of course," Forenden said, taking advantage of the fact that Gavorn had just taken a breath. "The simplest solution is for the stalemate over who is to be the next king to be broken. Grey Wardens are highly respected in Orzammar, the feats of your order are legendary. If you were to speak on behalf of Lord Harrowmont…"

"And why would the Warden want to do that?" Gavorn snapped. "The Wardens need an army to fight the Blight, not the shattered remnants of our forces that would result from Harrowmont's misrule!"

"Gentlemen," Will interrupted, getting both of their attention back before any more words could be spoken or challenges thrown down. "There is, actually, another solution. If both Prince Bhelen and Lord Harrowmont were to agree to set aside the matter of the crown until after the Blight…"

"My apologies, Warden, but might I speak?" Gavorn said. "I'm afraid that solution would be very difficult to push through, and not simply because of the fact that Harrowmont has proven himself untrustworthy countless times. No, the fact is that the King of Orzammar is also the High General of her army, and thus if we are to aid you against the Blight, we will require a king." He smirked at Forenden. "Preferably one who actually supports the army."

"Bhelen's never commanded more than a squad in the Deep Roads," Forenden shot back. "While Lord Harrowmont has commanded us to countless victories…"

"There must be some way, "Will interjected, "some compromise that can be reached that will allow me to get the army that was promised to the Grey Wardens without inserting myself into a situation that I do not know enough about to make an informed decision."

A long moment passed before Forenden spoke. "I suppose I could inquire if Lord Harrowmont would be willing to discuss a truce, though I doubt Bhelen could be trusted to consider it. He has always been a hotheaded boy."

"If there is anyone that cannot be trusted, it is the usurper Harrowmont!" Gavorn said furiously. "I…"

"Enough," Will said, rising to his feet. "I will be blunt. Go and ask your lords about my proposal, if you wish to have any chance at my assistance. _Now_."

Both dwarves quickly realized that Will was serious, and hurriedly got to their feet. "I'll do what I can, Sir Warden," they both said, before glaring at each other again. After a moment of hesitation, Forenden finally took the first step and led the way out of the room.

Once the door closed, Will sank back into his chair with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Well, it seems I got rid of the scavengers for a while, but they'll be back, they'll be back."

"It could have been worse," Jowan said. "I'm not quite sure how, but I'm sure it could have been." Everyone laughed a bit at that, before settling back to their meal. However, before they could even begin to settle down, there was the sound of shouting in the main area of the Shaperate.

"Have those foolish little creatures decided to start killing each other now?" Morrigan sighed. "Do they truly have nothing better to do with their time."

"No, it's not a battle," Will said, pushing a bit of his magic into his hearing to find out what was being said.

"… aren't interested in talking to a disgrace like you, Oghren!" That sounded like one of the elder Shapers, though not the leader.

"Ah, go sod yourself, you half-wit duster," a new voice then rumbled. "I need to talk to the Warden, it's important!" There was the sound of armored boots, and Will found his hand gripping Spellweaver as he slowly rose to his feet.

"No! I forbid you from disgracing Orzammar in front of such distinguished guests! Now get out before he hears you!"

"I believe I can speak for myself," Will said as he pushed the door open.

Almost ever dwarf in the Shaperate was staring at the two in the center, who had clearly been the ones arguing. One was, of course, the Shaper that Will had remember, though his face was far more red than the last time Will had seen it. It was not as red, however, as the hair and beard of the new dwarf. He grinned as soon as he saw Will and pushed past the stunned Shaper and made his way over.

"Well, you're shorter than I expected," he said, causing Will to chuckle.

"This coming from a dwarf?" he shot back good naturedly, causing the dwarf to laugh. Before he could continue, however, the Shaper had overcome the shock of Will's sudden entrance into the conversation and rushed over.

"I am so sorry, Sir Warden," he said, bowing slightly. "I had meant to drive this shameful drunk off without troubling you. You need not…"

"Ah, go stuff your head in a book," the redheaded dwarf growled, glaring at the Shaper. "If the Warden was willing to talk to those deshyrs, I think he'll be willing to talk to me." He grinned. "At least I tell it like it is."

The Shaper balked. "Deshyrs have honor, you washed up old…" he snarled.

Will, however, raised a soothing hand. "It can't hurt to at least hear what Sir Oghren here wants to talk about," he said, causing the Shaper to gape and Oghren to grin.

"So, you've heard of me, huh?" he said, grinning. "I'm guessing they've told you that I'm a worthless drunk who picks fights over the smallest thing. You know what, that's probably true. What they likely didn't tell you was that I'm also the husband of the only living Paragon."

The Shaper sighed again. "So that's what this is all about, is it?" he said. "You're trying to rope the honorable Warden into chasing a lost dream, like you've been trying to convince everyone else? Give up, Oghren, she's dead, and even if she isn't, no one could ever make it to her through all the Darkspawn without an army!"

"They could during a Blight," Oghren growled. "Every duster knows that when the Darkspawn are all up on the surface, the Deep Roads are much clearer! But why am I talking to a spineless coward like you, anyways?" He turned back to Will. "Look, Warden, I know what's going on more than a lot of people like to think I do. You're little spat with the Assembly is all over the city, as is the fact that they broke their promises on a technicality, like they always do. What I'm offering is a way to force them to do what you want without having to jump through their hoops!"

Will nodded slowly. "I'm interested," he said, stepping back. "Come in, let's discuss your proposal in more detail."

"Warden!?" the Shaper gasped. "Surely you're not going to listen to this miserable excuse for a dwarf?!"

"If he has a way to get the Assembly to support the Grey Wardens, then he's worth listening to in my eyes," Will said quietly. "After you," he said, nodding to Oghren, who smirked at the Shaper before stepping through the door into the party's room.

"Hey, uh, did they give you any beer?" he asked as he settled himself into a chair. "I talk better when I have something to drink."

As soon as Sten, who was closest, pushed Oghren the requested drink, Will spoke up. "So what is you're plan, Sir Oghren?"

"Ah, drop the Sir, Warden. Just plain Oghren will do," the red-haired dwarf grumbled before taking a swig. "As for the rest, well, you know about Paragons, right? How they can override the Assembly?"

"I had heard that," Leliana said. "Although I thought the only living Paragon was Branka, and she disappeared almost two years ago, according to these records."

"Yer' right, she left Orzammar with her whole house," Oghren said. "I'm probably the only one who knows why she left, and no one will believe me. She left seeking the Anvil of the Void, if you're interested."

"The Anvil…" Shale said quietly. "That name… stirs something in my memories, but I cannot grasp it…"

"It was where you were made, golem," Oghren said. "All golems were made on the Anvil, and Branka wants to bring it back. But that's not the important bit for you, Warden. What _is_ important is that, if you find her, she can force those nug-humpers in the Assembly to do the right thing for once in their lives. You get your army, I get to see my wife again, everyone wins."

"I guess…" Alistair said. "But Duncan told me that the Deep Roads are very dangerous, infested by Darkspawn… could anyone really survive down there for two years?"

"They could if they had an army backing them up, and some brains on top of that," Oghren said dismissively. "And I assure you that Branka's got both. Whenever a new Paragon comes around, all manner of people are leaping to join the new house, trying to get higher on the social structure, and you don't get to be a Paragon by being stupid. She did not go in unprepared."

"Still…" Alistair said, but Will raised a hand, his brow furrowed.

"There's a way to know if she's alive or not," he said. "Oghren, do you have anything of hers? Hair, something like that?" As he said this, he grabbed a blank piece of parchment and started calculating a thaumaturgic circle on it.

"Yeah, yeah, I got something," Oghren said, pulling a small pendant out of his armor. "What do you need it for?"

"A bit of magic I know that can form connections between small bits and the whole," Will said, still sketching the circle. "It'll just be a while."

It actually took Will almost an hour to properly calculate the more complex circle that only worked on living matter rather than anything (he wanted to know if Branka was alive, not a corpse rotting somewhere in the Deep Roads.) Finally, however, after carving up a portion of the floor, he cast the spell and got the result.

"Branka's alive," he said quietly, staring at the needle Wynne had offered. "She's far, far away, but she is still alive."

Oghren grinned. "I knew it!" he said. "They were all saying that there was no way she was still alive, but I knew she'd made it!" He looked at Will. "So, Warden, you in on my plan? Go get her back, make the Assembly listen to you?"

Will glanced around, getting nods from everyone else. "Sounds good, Oghren," he said, holding out a hand, which the dwarf took. "So, do you know any way to find her? I've heard the Deep Roads are a maze."

"They are, and without a map, you won't get nowhere," Oghren said. "Fortunately, I know where to get a map, though I'll admit I can't do it alone. You, however, she'll listen to you."

"Who?" Leliana asked.

"Lady Cariden, last of the line," Oghren said. "Branka got the maps from her when she first was planning her expedition. I've tried to get them from her myself, but she'd never listen to me. She'll have to listen to a Warden, though."

"Yeah," Will said. "There is still time to talk to her today, isn't there?"

"Yeah, yeah," Oghren said. "But first, can I have another mug of this, or better yet, the whole bottle? Seems that they only give the _good _stuff to honored guests." He looked up, noticing that everyone was staring at him. "What? I like my alcohol."

Several minutes later, Will had managed to shake off the two "guides," one from each faction, and he and Oghren made their way to Lady Caridin's manor, followed only by Leliana and Thunder so as to not make her nervous with a large party. Still, the well-dressed butler was quite shocked when he answered the door a moment after Will knocked.

"Ah… Sir Warden…" he said, gazing up at Will. "This is… an unexpected honor. What brings someone of your stature to this humble abode?"

"I seek a meeting with the Lady Caridin, if she's available," Will said. The dwarf butler balked, but before he could stutter anything out, another voice spoke, that of an older woman.

"Let him in. I'm sure if the good Warden bothered to come all the way out here, it's important enough for my time." The butler nodded and bowed to Will, gesturing to a door at the top of the central stairs.

Lady Caridin wasn't an old dwarf, but she was certainly getting there. Will recognized her vaguely from the Assembly, and was fairly certain that he remembered her as one of the few that had voted for his proposal. It seemed she remembered as well, since she favored him with a wry smile as she nodded towards the chair across from her in the small but opulent parlor, though she did narrow her eyes at the sight of Oghren. "My apologies about the furniture, I'm afraid they weren't made with surfacers in mind."

Will waved it off. "It's fine, I've endured much worse. Thank you for your hospitality and your welcome, Lady Caridin."

"Yes," she said. "It's the least I could do after the Assembly's shameful display earlier. Sometimes, I truly do not know how this city has survived so long with their likes as our leaders. But enough about them, what can I do for you."

"I would like to study the old maps of the Deep Roads I've heard you had," Will said.

Lady Caridin sighed, clearly not surprised by his request. "Oghren put you up to this, didn't he?" she asked, a note of disapproval entering her voice. "There are far better people to listen to, Warden. As I have already told him, as _everyone_ has told him, his cause is doomed. It's been two years, there is no way that the Paragon survived that long."

"She is alive," Will said firmly. "I'm not only a Grey Warden, but also a mage, one that has a set of uncommon skills, among them the ability to track people across long distances. Paragon Branka is alive, and I intend to find her so that I can force the Assembly to honor Orzammar's commitment. However, I need your help to find her."

Lady Caridin studied Will intently before sighing. "You seem convinced, and I admit that I know little of magic, so I cannot speak against what you say, but I'm afraid that nothing in this city is free, not even for a Grey Warden." Oghren opened his mouth to protest, but Will waved him down; they couldn't afford to antagonize her, so long as her demand was not too unreasonable. "Will you perform a task for me, Warden?"

"That depends entirely upon what it is," Will said back, causing the lady to smile grimly.

"Of course, though I doubt you will find it too distasteful. You know of our society, do you not? How the caste system works?"

"Only a little," Will said.

"Well, the simple explanation is that there are several castes, each with more authority the last. At the bottom of caste structure are the casteless, not truly dwarves at all. They reside in Dust Town, the dark and lawless remnants of the old city." Her eyes narrowed. "They are criminal by nature, but usually know not to bother the rest of society. However, there have been those recently that have started to band together, forming a criminal ring known as the Carta. They have been growing in power and gall, extending their influence even to the Diamond Quarter." She looked down, her entire posture suddenly changing. "They murdered my son."

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" Leliana whispered, leaning forward. "How…"

"Though of the Noble cast, my son always took the safety of the city so seriously. He worked a great deal with the city's guards, trying to bring order to our society," Lady Caridin said, clearly on the verge of tears. "It happened a few months ago, when a Carta thug had been captured impersonating an honored warrior at the Provings. The casteless mongrel was to be executed, but before that could happen, he was stolen away by some of his criminal associates. My son… died when he came across them escaping." She raised her eyes, and Will saw anger burning in them. "Of course, I went immediately to the Assembly to demand the complete annihilation of this criminal organization; we cannot let them think that they can get away with striking directly at the heart of Orzammar. But I was denied, and I believe I know why: there are those in high society that find these casteless useful, and are not so willing to let their criminal servants be destroyed. How else could they have so easily breached the prison?"

Will suppressed a sigh, he could see where this was going. "You want me to eliminate this Carta, don't you," he said.

"Of course," Lady Caridin said. "Their leader is a casteless by the name of Jarvia, and she keeps her base in Dust Town. Kill her, and wipe their stain from Orzammar forever, and you will have your maps." She sighed. "Please… leave me to my grief." Will nodded and quickly led the group out of the mansion and back to the Shaperate.

"What do we do now?" Wynne asked when Will was done relating his story. Will understood her hesitation: he found himself sympathizing with the casteless, abandoned by their city and their leaders. However, he could also see why Lady Caridin would want them stopped, and he did need those maps of the Deep Roads.

"Seems pretty obvious what we do now," Oghren said. "We find their hidey-hole and dig them out of it. Shouldn't be too hard." He looked up from his mug of alcohol when no one answered immediately and snorted. "You lot aren't feeling sorry for those dusters, are you?" After another moment of silence, he rolled his eyes and stood up. "Come on, you lot, I've got something to show you,"

In the end, only about half the party followed Oghren: Will, Leliana, Thunder, Jowan, Wynne, and Zelda. The rest stayed behind on Will's instruction to search for any Shaperate records of the Deep Roads, anything that could be used to help. Meanwhile, the dwarf led the way out of the Diamond Quarter and towards a distant corner of the merchant's area. Suddenly, he came to a halt and pulled back around the corner he had just turned.

"Well shave my beard," he muttered, pointing at a cluster of armed and armored dwarfs gathered around the door of one of the indoor shops. Will could immediately tell that these were not warrior cast, their armor was a rough combination of heavy leather and light metal, none of the finely-crafted heavy armors that upper-class dwarves prided themselves on could be seen. "I had expected to talk to the owner of that shop, get him to 'fess up, but it seems the Carta's already here."

Will quickly focused his magic into his hearing, sharpening it so as to hear what was being said. "…not happy with you right now," the leader of the Carta group was saying, his voice filled with a false friendliness. "We really can't have you missing out on your payments."

"I… I'm doing the best I can!" another voice, likely the merchant, stuttered. "Business is slow right now, with the death of the king and the deadlock in the Assembly. People are scared, they're not buying…"

"You've been saying that for weeks," the thug cut in. "Surely you have something for your friend Jarvia."

"I just told you! I…"

"Well, if you don't have any money, that's okay, but I guess we'll have to fulfill you're payment some other way. Let's step inside to… discuss it further." A soft whimper was all Will heard from the beleaguered merchant as the crowd shuffled inside.

"Leliana, stealth up and when they come out, follow them." Will said, nodding to Thunder and stepping forward. "The rest of you, stay here. I'll handle this."

"Sure you don't need help breaking some heads, Warden?" Oghren asked.

"We need them alive to find their base, preferable in a way that they don't realize their leading us to it," Will said before crossing the distance and pulling the door open.

As expected, the Carta thugs were sweeping merchandise, mostly medicinal herbs and tonics, from the shelves and into boxes, while their leader stood behind the counter, counting coins as the merchant knelt, whimpering, in the center of the room. Everyone looked up as Well stepped in, ducking his head to get under the low doorframe. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough that he didn't have to stoop.

"Well, well, what have we here," the leader said, looking Will up and down as he stepped out to the center of the shop. "Here I though that surfaces weren't allowed in the city anymore."

"We are if we're a Grey Warden," Will said, meeting the thug's eyes. His words caused something of a stir among the rest of the Carta dwarves, but they were silenced by a wave of the leader's hand.

"And what does a _mighty_ Grey Warden want with us?" he asked, bowing mockingly as he said "mighty."

Will narrowed his eyes. "It may be my duty to fight Darkspawn, but that doesn't mean I can't defend people from more mundane threats," he said. "Back off, if you know what's good for you."

There may have been a flash of fear in the thug's eyes, but he covered it up with a smirk. "You may be a Grey Warden, but the fact remains you're outnumbered five to one, and that's only if you count the mutt." Thunder yipped in annoyance.

"Thunder is a Mabari warhound, and he's probably smarter than you are," Will said. "Let's find out, though. This is your last chance, walk away." As he said this, Will focused his magic, creating a pair of flaming wings. These would be worse than useless in battle; they took far more energy and concentration than they were worth, but for intimidation Will felt that they'd be just what he needed. He didn't want these thugs dead, he wanted them to lead the way back to the base.

It seemed that the fire wings did the trick, as every Carta member jumped back with muttered oaths. "I didn't sign up for this!" one of them whimpered. "Lets get out of here."

"Yeah," the leader muttered. "We'll… we'll be back for you," he said to the merchant.

"I wouldn't count on that," Will said. The thugs took the hint and hurried out without another word.

"Thank you, good Sir Warden," the merchant said, clambering to his feet. "But… my shop…"

"I'm sorry I can't stay to help you clean up, but I have to go make sure that those thugs don't get any ideas about coming back when I'm not around." The merchant gave a hopeful smile before turning to start cleaning up the mess. Will, meanwhile, made his way out of the shop and met up with the others. Leliana wasn't there of course, since she was following the fleeing thugs. Will did still have some sympathy for the casteless, but it wasn't right for innocent shopkeepers to be drawn into the fray.

"So, we're going after them, right?" Oghren asked.

"Yes, let's go. Thunder." The mabari barked happily before pressing his nose to the stone ground and finding the scent, either of Leliana or the thugs, and beginning the trek through the market.

It wasn't long before the stalls started to thin out, the ground to become more rugged and untended, and dust to accumulate. Clearly, the party was heading for Dust Town. The dwarves that could be seen were also becoming rougher looking, and were beginning to carry obvious, if small and ill maintained, weapons on their persons. Ever now and then, a group would begin to make their way towards Will and his companions, but a sharp look was generally enough to drive them back.

Will noticed, however, that only some of the potential threats were actually leaving the party alone. Many were instead shadowing them, as the group left the stone walkways of the affluent portion of the city and truly entered the slums. Some were probably just curious, seeing what a band of armed surfaces were doing in Dust Town. Others… others were probably waiting for great enough numbers to try and overcome the party.

"What now, Will?" Jowan asked nervously, his eyes flicking from one stalking group to another. "Do we turn and fight, or…"

"Only if they do," Will said. "We don't want to provoke a general riot. So long as they stay calm, we stay calm. Still, keep an eye on them, will you?"

Several tense minutes later, Thunder came to a halt as another dwarf stepped out onto the street in front of him. This one was slightly better armored than the rest, and carried what looked like an old sledgehammer rather than a dagger or short pick-axe. He held up his hand as Will stepped around Thunder to confront him.

"We don't want your kind around here," the dwarf growled. "Now turn your pretty surfacer asses around and leave, before someone gets hurt."

"We have no quarrel with you," Will said, though he was pretty sure that this was a member of the Carta. "We're…"

"All right, for the back talk, you also get to give us all you're coin while you're at it," the thug interrupted. "Gold forgives almost everything, after all."

"We will not," Will said back. "And we will defend ourselves if we are forced to, and we will win, too. This doesn't have to be a fight, if you just let us pass."

The dwarf snorted. "You think that just because you're high-and-mighty Wardens that you can boss us around? Well, I've got news for you, _sir_. Wardens bleed and die just like anyone else when you stick a knife in their guts!" With that, he grabbed his hammer and raised it, causing the various thugs that had followed them to draw their own weapons and rush in.

The first group toppled as a fireball exploded in their ranks, bowling them all over. Several stumbled to their feet, and Will remembered that dwarves had some resistance to magic. Still, they remained woefully unprepared to fight against a trained and disciplined party.

Well, trained and well disciplined except for Oghren, who gleefully roared, took a swig out of a flask he carried at his side before grabbing the massive battleaxe and wading into the fray, sweeping aside his opponents like they were nothing.

"Someone seems to be enjoying himself," Will muttered as Spellweaver shattered the lead thug's hammer and opened the front of his armor, ending his life before Will turned to begin his own rampage, trading raw power and rage for finesse, blinding speed, and the occasional burst of magic.

Wynne and Zelda were fighting together against another group, the Templar forming a living wall between the mage and the thugs while Wynne paralyzed, blasted, and smashed with stone any that tried to go around. Jowan, meanwhile, had put most of his group to sleep before burning another pair. Thunder was also doing well, his training allowing him to run circles around the criminals, occasionally jumping in to rip out a throat or break an arm.

It quickly became apparent to the thugs that they would run out of dwarves before the party ran out of tricks, and they started to flee. Oghren and Thunder seemed about to break in pursuit, but Will was able to get their attention and force them to hold back. Finally, the last enemies were either dead, injured, or on the run.

"Let's go, quickly," Will said. "We've stirred up the hornet's nest, and we should get out of here before they bring reinforcements."

"Come on, Warden! I could do this for ages!" Oghren cried, taking another drink.

"Oghren… are you getting drunk in the middle of a battle?" Zelda asked, sounding both stunned and disgusted.

"Eeyup, sweetie. Want some? It's the only way to fight!" Oghren said, offering his flask.

"I'll… pass... thank you," Zelda muttered.

"Thunder, how much further?" Will asked after another minute, which had been nerve-wracking because of the absolute lack of people. The mabari yipped before pressing his nose against a door and barking. Will was just raising his hand to knock when the door opened on it's own, revealing Leliana.

"They went down here," she whispered, pointing to an opening in the wall. "Did you run into any problems…"

"We're fine, Leliana, what about you?" Will said, patting his love on the shoulder.

"No, they never noticed me," Leliana said. "Still, let's hurry. I… I don't like this place."

"That makes two of us," Jowan muttered. Will nodded, before leading the way down the passage and to another door, which he tried to open before finding it locked.

"Password?" a voice grunted from inside. Will ignored it, pulling out his Rod of Fire and melting the lock before pushing the door open. "What the… How did you find us?! To arms! To…" he was cut off as Oghren brought his axe down on his head.

"Everyone!" Will called, speaking to the dozen or so other Carta members in the room, who were staring in stunned horror at the party. "Flee, and you will be spared. Fight, and you will die. This is your final warning!"

One thug made a sprint for the door, only to be shot in the back by one of his companions, who stooped to reload his crossbow. However, by the time he looked up, the rest of the thugs were dead and Will was standing over him, Spellweaver raised. "You know, it's incredibly impolite to shoot your friends, or anyone for that matter, in the back." With that, the blade fell, ending the Carta member's life. "Let's go."

Another patrol of Carta thugs were in the cave-system that seemed to make up the majority of their base, and Will gave them the same ultimatum that he had given the first group. This batch seemed a bit more accepting, as when three fled, the others let them go. Of course, that didn't help them much, since they were now not only outmatched but also outnumbered. After a moment, they were dispatched.

"So, where do we go now?" Oghren asked, his voice bleary from the drinking he had continued. "Hurry up! Let's go!"

"Well, first we have to know where to go," Will said, looking around as he wiped the blood off Spellweaver. "This place is a maze, we need to be careful if we don't want to get lost."

"How about we find someone alive," Leliana said. "They'll know where she is."

"We'll have to find a way to get them to tell us what we want to know," Wynne said. Jowan looked at his feet, clearly thinking of how he could make them talk, but Zelda nudged him and shook her head.

"We'll figure something out," Will said, nodding towards a door on the other side of the cave. "Let's see who's in there."

As it turned out, no one. Either they had heard the battle outside and fled, or they had never been there in the first place. After a moment, Will decided that it was the former, as the door on the other side of the room was ajar. He nodded to it, and the party made their way over and gathered, waiting to push through.

Suddenly, Will's ear twitched, and he instinctively slammed his foot into the ground to generate a telekinetic shockwave before spinning around. The table in the center of the room had been bowled over by the formerly invisible Carta thugs.

These dwarves were dressed differently than the others. They wore full-face masks, and their armor was a black with red markings. These were clearly elite assassins.

"Next time, make less noise," Will said, bringing Spellweaver up to a defensive grip. The assassins didn't say a word, simply spreading out and launching themselves at the party.

These foes were, as expected, much more talented. Still, they simply couldn't deal with three mages, one of whom could also easily duel any three of them to a standstill by himself. Two were paralyzed by Wynne and Jowan and then killed, while a third was snared in a Crushing Prison by Will, who held him with one hand while blowing two more away with a fireball. Another toppled with an arrow between the eyes courtesy of Leliana, and the last two were met by Zelda and Oghren, who proceeded to take them apart with superior strength and reach.

Will stepped closer to the assassin he had grabbed with his telekinesis and slapped both jagged blades out of his hands before pushing him onto the ground. "Tell us where Jarvia is," he said quietly.

The dwarf didn't say a word, but a second later he started convulsing, a horrible gurgling filling the room. "Wynne!" Will called, crouching down and removing the dwarf's mask, revealing a strange foam coming from his mouth. Wynne rushed over, but shook her head a second later.

"It's too late," she said quietly. "It's a fast-actor, likely a pill hidden somewhere in his mouth." She carefully opened the assassin's mouth and gasped. "His tongue…"

"Yeah, that's a common trait for assassins," Oghren said, his voice slurring slightly. "Assassins don't need no tongues to do their work."

"That's horrible!" Leliana said.

"Sweetie, that's Orzammar," Oghren said.

A long moment of silence passed before Will stood. "We have to keep searching… Jarvia has a lot to answer for." Everyone nodded, and they made their way back to the door. This seemed to be an empty storeroom with no other entrances or exits, so they left it alone and went back to the central cave system. After some deliberation, they headed to another door, half hidden in a craggy area near the back. It was locked, but Will was easily able to burn through the lock with his Rod of Fire.

As the party entered, the sickly sent of blood reached their noses. Will raised a hand and peered carefully around the corner.

"It seems we've reached the prison," he said, his eyes sweeping over the assemble cells and implements of torture. There were several Carta thugs walking around, their armor blood red, or was it simply stained?

"Alright, let's start this again," one of the thugs said, walking over to a cell and opening it, before dragging a ragged dwarf out.

"I've already… told you everything…" the tortured soul whispered.

"Yeah, I'm just doing this for fun. No one fails the Carta and gets away with it," the other dwarf said, shoving the victim towards the others.

Before he could get more than a few feet, a Force Field sprang up around him. "Not if I have anything to say about it," Will snarled, raising Spellweaver and charging into the fray. Flame and sword arched together as Will slid through the thugs, killing them almost faster than they could register his presence. By the time the rest of the party had arrived, Will was standing alone in the center of a pile of dead bodies, his breaths slow and even.

"Damn…" Oghren said, taking another sip from his flask. "You'd make a good berserker, with a bit of training."

At that moment, the Force Field broke, releasing the dwarf, who stared at Will in stunned awe. "You saved me…" he said. "Who are you, surfacer, and why did you come to a Stone-forsaken place like this."

"I'm a Grey Warden, William Surana," Will said. "We're here to stop Jarvia. What's your name?"

The dwarf blinked. "I'm Leske," he said. "I used to be part of the Carta, but my partner and I screwed up an important job, and got arrested. We got busted out… but it was only so that they couldn't torture any information out of us." He nodded sadly towards another cage, in which a dwarf was lying facedown, clearly having died some time ago and been left to rot. "He starved himself a few days ago… couldn't take it anymore." Leske laughed. "At least we killed that bastard Beraht, before we got locked up for good."

"If you were part of the Carta, then can you show us where Jarvia would be hiding?" Will asked. Leske nodded.

"I guess I can. I do owe you for saving me." He nodded sharply. "Alright, this way." With that, he led the way out of the prison and back into the main cave.

There were dozens of doors scattered around the area, but Leske instead made his way to a seemingly random stretch of cave and started tapping. Finally, he found what he was looking for and slipped his finger into a nook and pulled. The rock here turned out to be clever disguise, and swung open like a door. "Just go down this hall, you'll find Jarvia," Leske said. "I… won't be joining you, I'm afraid. I'm not strong like you are, I'm leaving."

"That's fine, Leske, good luck to you," Will said. Once the dwarf was gone, he turned to the others. "Are you ready?" Everyone nodded, and Will led the way down the passage to a large, slightly ornate door, which Will pushed open.

"You have a lot of nerve, coming here," a cold voice said as he entered the room. Standing near the center was another dwarven woman, her arms folded and hate etched into every line of her face. Her armor was light, but clearly well made. Behind her was arrayed several dozen of the Carta, including several assassins.

"Jarvia, I presume." Will said. She jerked her head.

"And you're the Warden who's decided he's had enough of fighting Darkspawn and started going after us," she snarled. "Let me guess, some noble or other promised to ram your little treaty down the Assembly's throats if you got rid of us? Well, if you believe that, then you're more a fool than I thought." She bared her teeth. "Of course, it doesn't matter, since we're going to kill you all, here and now."

"Jarvia, you're outmatched," Will said. "Surrender, and I'll…"

"I'm not interested in any of your damn lies, Warden!" she shouted, drawing a pair of vicious blades. "You've killed my boys, and now we're gonna kill you. We've got you surrounded, you're merry band is tired, and damn it, we're pissed!"

"You are not the first group to have us outnumbered and surrounded," Will said. Gesturing Wynne and Zelda to cover the back hall, where almost a dozen dwarves had gathered. "And you know what, you won't be the last. After we're done here, we're going into the Deep Roads." He sighed. "A part of me sympathizes with you all. Trapped in a society that denies your worth as people, denies very existence, that turns on you at every turn… I know how that feels. But the things you've done… torturing and mutilating your own, attacking innocent civilians… it has to stop."

Jarvia snorted. "You think you're so righteous, don't you?" she spat. "But you're just like us, just like me. You Wardens are willing to do whatever it takes to defeat the Darkspawn? Well, we're willing to do whatever it takes simply to survive." She pointed her blades at him. "Let's see how righteous you are when you're blood's staining the dirt we live in." With that, the entire mass charged.

"Paralysis explosion in front," Will said, and Wynne and Jowan obliged with a mixed Glyph of Repulsion and Paralysis. A couple of dwarves were still moving due to their natural resistance, but most were stunned. "Oghren, hold the door." The dwarf berserker grinned, drained the rest of his drink, and threw himself into the hall and started hacking. "Leliana, support him." With that, Will, Thunder, and Zelda stepped forward to match the remaining charge.

"Not bad, Warden," Jarvia snapped over the clashing of their blades. She may have been shorter than he was, but she was fast and skilled. "Still, it's only a matter of time."

"Then I just have to finish this fast," Will said, A savage kick, backed up by a blast of telekinesis, sent the Carta leader back. She managed to turn her tumble into a skidding landing, somehow keeping her feet, but the damage was already done. Will quickly darted from one battle to the next, killing all of Jarvia's active troops in the room.

"Mine is the glorious fire that burns in the hearts of dragons…" Will intoned as everyone except Oghren (who was still shouting as he cleaved through the lightly armored thugs that had tried to come from behind) gathered between him and Jarvia. "Come forth, and create a blaze hotter than the sun itself…"

Jarvia vanished from sight, but Leliana was able to keep track of her, and arrows and spells prevented her from reaching Will as the flaming glyph around his feet roared to life.

"Cremate all who dare court me wrath! INFERNO!"

Just as the first of the thugs escaped their paralysis, the flaming dragon rose behind Will and let out a savage cry, engulfing the entire area in white-hot fire.

A long moment later, Will lowered Spellweaver, and the flames died, leaving nothing but cracked stone and ash behind. "Falon-Din have mercy," Will breathed as he beheld what he had wrought.

His eyes flicked to the side a moment later, and his sword came up to block a pair of blows aimed at his side before letting out a burst of telekinesis to launch his assailant back. Jarvia reappeared as she landed on her feet, her eyes wide.

"You monster…" she whispered. "How do you live with yourself, when you burn those you claim to sympathies with?" She charged. In her rage, she didn't bother preparing her weapons to defend herself from a potential counterattack.

One step to the side and a slash punished that mistake.

Jarvia slowly stumbled to a halt behind Will, blood running from the rent in the front of her armor. After a moment of silence, she toppled to her knees and then onto her face, dead.

"Well, that went well," Oghren said, grinning as he wiped blood from his face. "Good fight, good fight." Will simply remained silent, cleaning Spellweaver off before putting it away. Finally, he spoke.

"Let's go. We need to report back." With that, Will turned and led the way back through the underground tomb.


	24. Road to the Void

Reviewer Response:

Poison1234: Yes, I am a fan of Lord of the Rings (more so the movies rather than the books.) Those names seemed to fit with the high-fantasy of the Arlathani elves, so I used them. Thanks for the review.

jaffa3: Sorry this takes so long, I've been having the quarter from hell at school, so it took some time. Hope you're still willing to put up with the long waits.

david9999: They think they have the loophole: go get Branka to force the Assembly (of course, we know how that's going, but they don't.) Of course, Will's going to have to do some quick thinking when he realizes Branka's gone off the deep end.

TeninChwang: Will knows without a doubt that the Carta had to be stopped, that's why he wiped them out. That doesn't mean he has to take pleasure in it, especially since there are some parallels between the casteless and mages. However, just because he recognizes those similarities doesn't mean that he won't do what has to be done. Still, I understand what you're saying, and I hope this won't completely sour your enjoyment of the rest of the story.

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 23: Road to the Void

No one dared to approach Will and the others as they left Dust Town, for which the Warden was grateful. He knew that what he had done was necessary, even what was right. Still, he couldn't shake the knowledge that he had just carved his way through a group of people who had never been given a chance, had merely been trying to survive in a world that had turned its back on them. The way they had gone about it was reprehensible and they'd needed to be stopped, but Will couldn't help but draw parallels between the Carta and those mages that turned to the forbidden in order to survive.

So deep was he in thought that he almost didn't notice the dirt and grim of the slums turning back into the meticulously carved stones of the Orzammar commons, Shaking his head, he gestured the others to follow him to a quiet corner.

"Alright," he said, gesturing to Zelda and Wynne. "We're going to be heading out into the Deep Roads soon, so we're going to need supplies. Go see if Bodahn has enough; and if he doesn't then we'll need to get provisions here. Once you do, we'll meet you at the entrance to the Diamond Quarter. Will you do that?" Wynne nodded, and the mage and Templar made their way back towards the entrance to the city. "Jowan, Thunder" Will continued as the remaining party members continued walking. "Once we get back to the Diamond Quarter, go tell the others back at the Shaperate to get ready to move out. The rest of us will go get the maps."

"I'll do it," Jowan said before cocking his head. "William… are you alright?"

"Will," the Warden said quietly. "I forgive you, Jowan. And yes, I'm fine."

Jowan blinked before smiling hopefully. "I won't disappoint you again, Will," he said. "Well, I'll go get the others," he continued after the group reentered the Diamond Quarter. Will nodded, and the older mage quickly jogged down the street, followed by the massive mabari.

"Will, you have been very quiet," Leliana said, placing a hand on Will's shoulder. "If something's bothering you…"

"Later," Will said quietly, nodding to a pair of Royal Guard who were listening intently while trying to pretend they weren't. "I'll tell you later." Leliana glanced at the eavesdroppers before nodding herself, though her eyes told Will that she would hold him to his promise to talk when they had the time.

Several minutes later, Will, Leliana, and Oghren were once again standing outside the doors of the Caridin estate. "Don't worry, Warden," Oghren said. "Lady Caridin's one of them Deshyrs that'll keep her word most of the time. She'll come through."

"She'd better," Will said as they were admitted and made their way to the same parlor as before.

"Sir Warden!" Lady Caridin said, rising to her feet with a smile. "I just heard from one of my agents that you were successful in your mission, well done!" Her smile turned brittle. "Now my son can finally rest in peace. But enough of that, you're here for your maps, aren't you?" Will simply nodded, and Lady Caridin gestured to her butler, who was standing surreptitiously in a corner, trying not to be noticed. He bowed before scurrying away through another door. "It will just be a moment," the dwarf noble said. "There were no problems, I presume?"

"Nothing you'd be concerned with," Will said quietly. "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome, honorable Warden," Lady Caridin said. "I do still believe your quest is a doomed one, but let it not be said that the House of Caridin goes back on its word," At that moment, the butler returned, several rolls of parchment in his arms, which he gave to Will. "You'll find everything to be in order, those are the exact same maps that I gave to the Paragon Branka two years ago. Along with it is a bonus: my seal supporting your right to leave the city. You _shouldn't_ need it, but with the way the city is now…" she sighed before nodding. "Stone protect you, Warden,"

"Same to you, Lady Caridin," Will said, inclining his head slightly. After a moment, the group turned to leave.

"Oh, wait, one last thing," Lady Caridin said. "Your companions, are they all Wardens?"

"No…" Will said, his eyes widening as he realized what Lady Caridin was getting at.

"Then you'll need something too keep the Blight at bay. Nothing can cure it once it has taken hold, but to keep it from entering your system, there's a special potion you can take. There's an alchemist in the Commons, Figor, who makes it and owes me some favors. Tell him I sent you, and he'll give a discount."

"Thank you again, Lady Caridin," Will said.

"You avenged my son, Sir Warden," Lady Caridin said simply. "Truthfully, what I've done is only a small portion of what I owe you. Should you need anything else, come and speak with me." Will nodded with a tight smile and made his way out of the house.

"Ah, Sir Warden!" Will suppressed a groan as he stepped out Lady Caridin's door only to be accosted by a group of Harrowmont dwarves, led by Dulin Forenden. "We've been looking for you, none of your companions could tell us where you went, and we were worried that Bhelen's rogues may have done something to you."

'More likely you were worried I'd thrown in with him,' Will thought sourly before forcing a smile on his face, not even bothering to make it seem legitimate. "I'm sorry to have worried you," he said sweetly. "I just had some business that I needed to take care of, nothing major. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Well," Forenden said, moving to block Will's way. "There is a matter of some importance that needs to be discussed,"

"Sir Warden!" another voice shouted, and Will glanced up to see Bhelen's man Vartag Gavorn marching over at the head of some Royal Guard. "Sir Warden, are you well?" he asked, forcing his way through the Harrowmont supporters and bowing to Will. "Your guide lost track of you and we feared the worst. It would be shameful if something were to happen to an honored guest of Orzammar…"

"I'm fine," Will said sharply. "Now, _if _you don't mind, I have somewhere I need to be soon, and I'll get there faster without an entourage."

"The city is a dangerous place right now, Warden," Forenden said, glowering at Gavorn out of the corner of his eye. "Because of Bhelen's mad ambition, there have been some regrettable battles in the streets, and it would not do if you or your companions were to be caught up in one."

"You mean because of Harrowmont's coup, don't you," Gavorn said icily, glaring back. "If he would simply support the true king…"

"Enough." Will said simply. "I am a Grey Warden. I survived Ostagar. I killed a High Dragon. I've defeated assassins of all kinds. I can handle a civil brawl long enough to make it to the Deep Roads."

Both dwarfs abandoned their glaring match to gape at Will. "The Deep Roads, Warden?" Forenden said.

"Why in Stone's name would you be going there now?" Gavorn asked, his eyes wide.

"A Warden has his reasons," Will said, not willing to tell these vultures anything he didn't have to; they'd find a way to make his life more difficult. "Suffice it to say that I have need to go to the Deep Roads, and you are both preventing me from going. So, please, _get out of my way_." At that moment, thankfully, Jowan arrived with the others, all packed and ready to go as soon as Wynne and Zelda returned with provisions.

Forenden and Gavorn glanced at each other again, though this time they both seemed to be trying to figure out what to do. Finally, Gavorn spoke. "Sir Warden… regretfully, the Deep Roads are closed at this time," he said. "Due to the tense nature of the city, we couldn't risk anyone being… accidently… locked out." Will guessed that someone had tried to do just that at some point, but didn't say anything. "So, I'm afraid that, until the rightful ruler of Orzammar says otherwise, no one may leave the city. Now, if you were to speak with him…"

"I am the Warden Commander," Will said, allowing a measure of his annoyance to enter his voice. "I will not stand by and be extorted in this way. I am leaving Orzammar, and you will not stop me. I have the support of Lady Caridin to back up my own authority. Now, I will be going." Ignoring the stunned look on Gavorn's face, Will stalked past, noticing with some amusement how the other dwarves tripped over themselves to give him space as he made his way to the others.

"It did quite well," Shale said. "Is it sure that I cannot squash some heads?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Shale," Will said simply. "Let's go, the others will be back soon with supplies." Everyone nodded and the group made their way to the meeting point. Once there, Leliana and Thunder volunteered to go get the anti-Blight draught from the alchemist, and Will agreed. She returned several tense minutes later just as Wynne and Zelda arrived, leading several dwarves they must have hired to help carry the supplies.

"Everything going well, William?" Wynne asked. Will simply nodded before glancing at Shale, who sighed.

"Oh, very well, if it makes it happy," the golem muttered, stepping forward and gathering up half the bags as the others grabbed the rest.

"Alright," Will said. "Let's get out of here before…"

"Sir Warden!"

Will cursed in Elvish as he turned to see two groups of armed and armored dwarves making their way towards him, each clearly supporting the two major factions.

The Harrowmont team made it first. "Sir Warden," the leader said (Not Forenden this time). "I am Olanak Harrowmont, a warrior of House Harrowmont, and my lord has bid me to ensure your safe return…"

"Or to slay him when he's away from the city!" Bhelen's soldier growled, his eyes narrowed. "My name is Piotin Aeducan, Sir Warden and…"

"You want to go with me into the Deep Roads to ensure that nothing befalls me," Will said, glaring at both the dwarves. "I have been more than patient with both Harrowmont and Bhelen, but my patience is reaching its end. Let me be very clear to you both, so be sure to take my words to your lords: I am not interested in making either of them king. My only concern is for Orzammar to fulfill its promises, and I believe that the best way to do that is to leave the city for reasons of my own. I have complete faith in my team to be able to survive the Deep Roads without either of you, especially since I don't trust you. Now, _go away and leave us alone_." With that, he turned and stalked away, followed by the others.

The guards at the gate to the Deep Roads took one look at Will marching towards him before turning and ordering his men to open the gates. "Stone protect you, Warden," he said. Will nodded and led the way out into the blighted Deep Roads.

* * *

><p>Prince Bhelen, deep within the Royal Palace, slammed his fists on the table with a growl. "Damn it, what is that Warden up to?" he muttered.<p>

"He'll probably die, there's no way the could…" Vartag said before being interrupted.

"Fool! Grey Wardens enter the Deep Roads all the time, this one will survive, I'm sure of it! The only question is what he's scheming." The prince rubbed his forehead in frustration. "How is the rest of the campaign going?"

"The Proving ended in your favor, thanks to some… pressure," Vartag said, a tight smile crossing his face. "That will silence some of the more traditionalist dissenters…"

"And your plan to cut Harrowmont's support with those false promises?" Bhelen asked, causing Vartag's smile to fade.

"That… didn't go as well, my lord," he said slowly. "Without a third party perceived as neutral, the Deshyrs were… skeptical. It's only a matter of time before they inquire of the Shaperate…"

"So all you've done is drive them more firmly into Harrowmont's camp." Bhelen shook his head. "No matter, none of this matters if we don't figure out what Harrowmont has convinced the Warden to do for him in the Deep Roads."

Vartag took a deep breath. "My lord Prince… the Warden did say that he wasn't aligned with any group, and he seemed as annoyed with Forenden as he was with me…"

"If he's not with us, then we must assume he's against us," Bhelen snapped. "Now, what is there in the Deep Roads that Harrowmont would be…" His eyes widened. "You said the Warden was at the Caridin house and had Oghren with him?" he said, looking at Vartag, who nodded. "Dammit all, they're going after the Paragon!"

"That's foolish, she's dead by now, it's been two years." Vartag said.

"That's true, but if the Warden finds her body, Harrowmont could probably spin a tale of her spirit guiding him through the Stone, convincing all those traditional fools to support him on the wish of a dead woman! Damn, damn, damn," the prince slumped into a chair and put his face in his hands, thinking deeply. "Right, here's what we'll do. Get two squads of warriors that don't openly support us, the best you can. Send them all out to ensure that the Warden does not return."

Vartag's eyes widened in horror. "You're… my lord, you can't possibly… They're Wardens…"

"And they've aligned with our enemy," Bhelen said sharply. "They must be stopped, at all costs. Do as I command."

After a long moment, Vartag bowed. "As you wish, my lord," he said before spinning on his heel and leaving the Prince to brood.

Meanwhile, across the Diamond Quarter in the Harrowmont estate, Lord Harrowmont stood, staring into his fire as Dulin finished his report. "This is most troubling," Harrowmont murmured. "You're certain that the Warden holds no sympathy for us?"

"I'm afraid so, my lord," Dulin said. "I fear I pushed him too hard, I accept full responsibility."

"No, I agreed to the plan," Harrowmont said. "Now, we must decide what to do next. The Warden has a plan, that much is clear. But does he work for Bhelen or not, that's the important question."

"I don't believe so," Dulin said. "Gavorn was being just as insistent as I was that the Warden listen to us, so it stands to reason that he's just as annoyed with Bhelen as he is with us."

"Hmmm…" Harrowmont murmured. "Don't be so quick to underestimate Bhelen, he is cunning, deceitful, and ruthless. We learned that all to well with the death and banishment of his elder brothers. It is possible he was simply pretending to pester the Warden… who disappeared into Dust Town for more than an hour for unknown reasons." A long silence filled the room before Lord Harrowmont turned. "Gather some of our agents; quiet, discreet ones. Send them out into the Deep Roads to keep an eye on the Warden. If he is honest in being unaligned, then all is well and good. If he's not…"

Dulin straightened slightly. "My lord… do they have permission to kill if necessary?" he asked. After a long moment, Harrowmont nodded.

"I pray that it does not come to that, but Endrin made me promise that Bhelen would not succeed him, and I will fulfill that promise. Give the orders, Dulin."

An hour later, unknown to each other, two groups of dwarves left the city, making their way along the same trails as the Wardens towards Aeducan Thaig.

* * *

><p>Will growled as he turned the map over again, still trying to properly decipher the thing. Apparently, dwarves had a much different way of writing and organizing maps than the surface, which made navigation a challenge. To make matters worse, it seemed every other passage they were supposed to take had collapsed, forcing them to detour. Fortunately, there were many of these detours; otherwise no one would have gotten anywhere. <em>Un<em>fortunately, this meant that he was rapidly getting confused as to exactly where they were in this labyrinth.

He was also coming to realize just how much he disliked caverns. The Circle Tower, though confined, had allowed for plenty of natural light, and thus had allowed for a smooth transition between night and day. Whenever he'd been in a place without that transition, it had only been for a few hours at most with a fairly obvious path to take; which made it easy for him to keep his cool. Now… now, he had no clue if it was night or day, had trouble distinguishing up from down, and had no clue if the group was still going in the right direction. It wasn't helping that every few minutes, they were ambushed by packs of deepstalkers. While he no longer considered the creatures to be truly dangerous, they were still incredibly annoying, especially when no one figured out they were there before the attack. Thankfully, the Darkspawn seemed to have abandoned this area for the time being.

"William," Wynne said, jerking the elf out of his thoughts. "You don't always have to be the one with the map," As she said this, the Senior Enchanter gently prying the parchment from Will's hands for the fifth time. "Now, where are we… here," she said, pointing to a seemingly random place. "So we take this left turn up here, then a right, and we should be back to the main Deep Road to Aeducan Thaig."

"Thanks," Will said, rubbing his forehead. "Could you…" Wynne nodded, smiling, and stepped forward to lead the way. "I really don't like caves."

"Yes, I can see why it would be frustrated," Shale said.

"So, do you remember anything?" Will asked, grateful for the distraction. "You were found around here, weren't you."

"Not quite," Shale said. "My sadly deceased master was searching a different part of the Deep Roads when it discovered me. But to answer its question, no, I don't remember anything."

"Well, if you do, be sure to tell us," Will said. "Any knowledge you might have could be useful."

"I will do that," Shale said.

Silence fell over the group as they continued on, moving more quickly now that Wynne had taken over navigation. They were walking in a careful group, with Shale and most of the provisions near the center. Zelda was with Wynne at the front, and Will, Leliana, Oghren and Thunder were right behind them. On Shale's other side were Morrigan, Jowan, Sten, with Alistair guarding the rear. Normally, Will would have put Shale back there since he was almost indestructible; but since the cargo the golem was carrying was vital to their mission, so he had to stick to the middle.

Will's eyes flashed up a moment later as a soft scraping noise was heard, barely audible even to his enhanced sense. "More deepstalkers," he muttered, drawing Spellweaver and looking around for anything suspicious. A cluster of rocks looked out of place, and he was rewarded when the Arcane Bolt he threw killed one of the predators rather than shattering stone.

Once again, almost twenty of the beasts unfolded from their hiding spots with eerie screeches, spewing acid at the group. Will, Jowan and Wynne immediately brought up Arcane Shields while Alistair and Zelda raised their physical ones. Half of the Deepstalkers remained at range while the rest closed the distance, trying to attack with their teeth and claws. Two were shot by Leliana while three more were frozen or electrocuted by Morrigan, leaving the remaining five to be slaughtered by Oghren's axe and Sten's Asala. The ranged attackers, meanwhile, were being picked off by jets of fire and hunks of stone launched by the other three mages. The last two Deepstalkers tried to retreat, but were killed before they could get reinforcements.

"Good fight," Oghren growled. "You surfaces sure know what you're doing."

"We've had a lot of practice," Leliana said, putting her bow back over her shoulder as she looked around.

"Yeah, well don't get cocky, these critters are just the beginning. The further we get from Orzammar, the worse it'll get." Oghren took another swig from his flask. "Been ages since I was out here."

"Tell me about yourself, Oghren," Will said, glancing around to make sure that there weren't any more threats.

The dwarf snorted. "Nothing to talk about," he growled. "I'm just an old, washed-up warrior left behind by his wife. If we can find her, then maybe I'll be something more, but until then, let's go." With that, he started marching again, leaving Will to ponder.

Now that Wynne was in charge of the map, the group made much faster progress, and finally reached a large opening on the side of the main road. "The entrance to Aeducan Thaig," Oghren said. "The last of the Thaigs to fall. The dusters in the Assembly make noise about reclaiming it every few years, but everyone knows we don't have the warriors to do it, so we're content with sending some people in to poke around and posture. Then the Darkspawn take it back within a week every time." He sighed. "There are probably some here now, even though most have gone to the surface for the Blight."

"You're right," Will said quietly, his eyes distant. "Several clusters, spread throughout the area. I don't think they've noticed us, though."

"Will, perhaps we should stay here for a time," Wynne said. "We're all tired, and ruined though it is, a Thaig will at least provide some shelter." The Warden Commander nodded.

"You're probably right. Stay on your toes, the Darkspawn will notice us soon." Everyone nodded before stepping gingerly into the hole.

As expected, the nearest group of Darkspawn quickly sensed Will and Alistair, and charged recklessly towards them. Six Genlocks and four Hurlocks, no Alphas of Emissaries, were quickly brushed aside. Their cries must have alerted the others, however, as Will sensed them beginning to shift and gather.

"The other's are going to be coming together," Will said quietly. "We need to get to some sort of choke-point to cancel out their numbers."

"Over there!" Zelda called, pointing to something that had been a mansion at one point and was still mostly intact. "That seems like a good spot."

Will nodded quickly. "Right. Shale, Jowan, Leliana and I will hold the entrance. The rest of you split up into two groups and search the rest of the area, make sure there aren't any other ways in!"

"Yes, kadan!" Sten said. "You two," he pointed at Morrigan and Alistair, who were closest. "Come with me!" The cry of a Shriek cut of any disagreements either of them may have had with the arrangement.

Zelda, meanwhile, had stepped near Wynne, followed by Oghren. "We'll go the other way."

Will nodded "Thunder, go scout, but do not engage. If you find something, go get someone, alright?" The mabari barked and darted into the door and out of sight. Will then looked over his shoulder, letting his Warden sense reach out and find the Darkspawn. Most of them had gathered into two large groups that were making their way towards the makeshift fortress from different angles. "Go!" he called to the other groups.

A tense minute passed as a golem, Warden and archer prepared for the assault. The gate to the old mansion was still mostly intact, and Shale could fill it while Jowan covered his back. However, there was also a hole in the wall a short distance away, which Will was covering. Leliana had climbed to one top of one of the old watchtowers, one that still had cover and a commanding view. They were as ready as they were ever going to be, and the first group of Darkspawn was almost upon them. The other group seemed to be circling around, looking for another entrance.

The first group of Hurlocks entered the area in front of the mansion, their shields raised in a crude wall. Behind them was a single Emissary, its staff raised and entropic magic crawling along it. Leliana's first arrow struck it in the shoulder, causing it to stumble before a second pierced its head. The others, meanwhile, were sent reeling by a boulder thrown by Shale, most dead on impact.

These were just a distraction, however, as Will sensed several Shrieks entering the area, too spread out for any single attack to stop them. Several went towards Shale, while another few came at him. "Shrieks!" Will called as he used a fireball to kill.

Jowan closed his eyes for a moment before pulling out a knife. "I'll deal with them," he said quietly, slashing his palm open and opening his eyes as they flared red. "Blood Wound!" A wave of dark blood flowed from Jowan, filling the area around Shale just as the Shrieks arrived. Being a golem, Shale wasn't affected by boiling blood, but the blighted creatures were, and they fell out of stealth as their pained howls echoed around the cavern. Shale took the opportunity to walk around and stomp on each of their heads, laughing as he did.

Will, meanwhile, had lit several fires to force the remaining Shrieks to come directly towards him. As a bonus, the light of the flames also drove back the shadows and allowed Will to see the Shrieks, and thus fight them more effectively than swinging blindly. Shrieks were strong, just like all Darkspawn were, but their lack of armor made them more frail than Hurlocks. The first came at Will with a double overhead slash with its claw-like blades, but they were blocked by an Arcane Shield as Will ran it through. A second shrieked loudly enough that it would have stunned Will had ne not dampened his hearing down to manageable levels a moment before, allowing him to take its head off. A third tried to leap on him, but stumbled as one of Leliana's arrows struck it, giving Will time to punch it hard enough to smash its skull.

More and more Darkspawn were pouring into the area, mostly Genlocks shepherded by Hurlocks. A cluster of archers tried to shoot Leliana down from her perch, but another bolder from Shale split them up as another of Will's fireball burned a pair of Emissaries. An Ogre tried to break through Shale's defenses, but Jowan boiled its blood long enough for the golem to pull the massive beast to the ground and squash its head with a pair of fists. With most of their heavy hitters gone, the remaining Darkspawn, bolstered by only a few Alphas, smashed themselves against the two living walls and their ranged supports. There were no survivors.

With that done, Will turned his Blight sense to find the other group. His blood chilled as he realized they were likely within the mansion. He couldn't tell where Wynne, Zelda, and Oghren were, but Alistair was nowhere near, though they were going in the right direction. He quickly glanced back into the caverns, there weren't very many Darkspawn left out that way. "I'm going to help the others," he said. "There are Darkspawn in there." Without waiting for a response, he turned and dashed inside.

He quickly realized that the others must have already engaged the Darkspawn if the clashing weapons meant anything. Turning, he sprinted towards the sound of the battle, aware that Alistair, Sten, and Morrigan were also coming. He was closer, though, and would get there faster. Skidding around the last corner, he took everything in at a glance.

Zelda was slowly backing down the corridor, keeping the small horde of Darkspawn back through sheer determination. Any that slipped by were hacked open by Oghren or mauled by Thunder. Wynne, meanwhile, was further slowing the monsters with various glyphs, stone walls, and spells. Still, without any powerful area of effect attacks, they could only delay.

Thankfully, Will had plenty of fire to spare.

The first fireball burned over Oghren's head and exploded against the wall about halfway back the Darkspawn group, sending them sprawling and burning. Zelda took the opportunity to shove the Alpha at the head of the group back before stepping to the side and letting Oghren come forward to take the beast's legs out with a well-placed chop.

At this moment, Alistair and his group arrived from another corridor, driving into the disorganized flank of the Darkspawn. Waves of ice flowed from Morrigan's staff, freezing several standing enemies solid for Sten to shatter with heavy blows. Alistair, meanwhile, had cut through the Darkspawn ranks to join Zelda in pushing them back.

Before anyone could get too comfortable, however, a roar filled the corridor, followed by the sound of smashing stone. An Ogre rounded the corner, but this one was different. While most Ogres only wore some lose cloth, this one had somehow gathered several massive plates of armor and connected them, forming a simplistic but formidable defense. A moment later, he lowered his head and charged, smashing through the lesser Darkspawn without a care, heading right for Will.

"Back!" Will shouted, slamming Spellweaver's blade into the ground and focusing his power into a shield, one slanted to hopefully redirect the armored Ogre's momentum into a nearby wall. Heeding his orders, most of the others dashed back down the corridor.

Wynne, however, moved behind Will and planted her own staff, forming another shield right behind his. "You'll never be able to stop that much momentum," she said. "Not alone." Before Will could retort, the beast was upon them.

It turned out that Wynne was right, Will's shield shattered upon impact. It was a close thing, though, as the ogre did slow enough that the second shield directed him as desired, smashing him into the wall hard enough to crack it and shake the ceiling.

Will blinked the stars out of his eyes as he looked down the corridor. Most of the Darkspawn that had already been attacking were dead or wounded, but a new wave was behind them, preparing to charge. Will's companions would never reform in time to halt their advance. The elf's eyes then flicked up to the damaged ceiling. "Back!" he called again, reaching up with his telekinesis, dinging his power into the cracks, widening, pushing, and preparing to bring the whole thing down. Wynne agreed, creating one last Glyph of Repulsion before falling back.

The Darkspawn slammed into the barrier, forcing their way past through sheer weight of numbers. The delay, however, was enough, and as Will turned and sprinted back after the elder mage, the ceiling caved in, crushing the majority of the advancing enemies beneath it.

Sten looked up from stabbing the armored Ogre to nod. "Well done, kadan," he said simply, carefully wiping Asala clean.

"Yeah, ruddy good fight," Oghren said. "Would've taken several squads to do that, and there would have been casualties!" He leaned against his axe. "You know, most dwarves believe you lot on Calling only make it as far as here, but from what I've seen, I'm betting that you make it a lot farther."

Will nodded slowly. He'd heard of the Calling from Alistair. When a Warden's Taint started overwhelming them, threatening to make them a Ghoul, they went to the Deep Roads to go out in a blaze of glory, killing as many Darkspawn as they could in a final push. He wondered if he'd survive long enough to see his own through. "You did well too, Oghren," he said, waving a hand to clear some of the dust from the air. His ability to sense the Taint did nothing to tell him if the Darkspawn were still alive, so he had to check with his eyes and ears.

Almost twenty of the beasts were still moving, though only two were in any shape to try and fight back as he finished them off. "The other group's gone as well," he said as he rammed Spellweaver through the last one's torso and twisted. "I don't think there are any more living Darkspawn in the Thaig." He nodded to the mabari nudging him. "Go let Leliana and the others know that everything's alright." The dog barked happily and ran off. "Did any of you find someplace less likely to collapse on our heads as we sleep?"

"I'll do you one better," Oghren said, grinning. "I found an old camp, looks like Branka's. We're on the right trail."

"You're sure?" Alistair asked. "I mean, it would have to be about two years old…"

"I know her style, boy," Oghren said. "It was hers, I'm sure of it. Too big to be scavengers or a war party, too well organized to be Darkspawn, and covered in grime from the years. Branka stayed here."

"Then we should too," Will said. "Show us the place."

An hour and a half later, Will was sitting in the middle of a ruined room in the center of an old basement, putting the finishing touches a thaumaturgic circle on the floor. He wanted to make sure that Branka was still alive, wherever she was. This expedition was useless if she died. A tense minute later, he activated the circle and picked up the piece of stone he was using. "She's still going," he said.

"Course she is," Oghren said. "She's lasted this long, she's probably built a fort somewhere in the Deep Roads, to repel any Darkspawn from whatever she's doing. Probably recruited some of the Legion to help her out as well, if she ran into them."

"The Legion?" Will asked.

"The Legion of the Dead," Oghren said. "Toughest warriors in the world. They don't live in the cities; they live out here, fighting the Darkspawn every minute of every day. They coordinate with Orzammar forces on occasion, but for the most part they're autonomous." The red-bearded dwarf took another swig of his seemingly endless supply of alcohol. "The reason they're called the Legion of the Dead is that ever one of them's had a funeral before heading out. As far as anyone's concerned, they're walking corpses, simply waiting to die. Means they're not afraid anymore."

Will nodded. "Think we'll see any? It might give us a clue to Branka's whereabouts," he said.

"Probably see some of them, if we go deep enough. A few groups stay near the city to keep open lines of communication, but most try to fight further out, keep the Darkspawn focused on them rather than Orzammar. Do a damn good job of it as well, the city'd have been overrun a hundred times without them."

"Then I hope we can find some," Will said, rising to his feet. "You know where you are on the watch cycle?"

"Yep, with that stick-in-the-mud qunari. Sure I can't…"

"No," Will said. "Not after what happened with Morrigan."

Oghren snorted. "How was I supposed to know she'd…" He huffed. "Never mind," he muttered, walking away. Will simply shook his head before leaning back against a nearby wall and closing his eyes.

"Is now a good time, Will?" Will opened one eye to see Leliana gently settling next to him.

The Warden didn't even bother pretending not to know what she was talking about. "I was just thinking about parallels," he said. "You were in the Tower, you know what I mean. What the Carta did was wrong, no one denies that, but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the other casts had made any effort to help them rather than condemn them for an accident of birth."

Leliana nodded as she took Will's hand. "I don't know, Will," she said quietly. "Dwarven culture has always been insular, no one on the surface dares to try to suggest that they're wrong because they control the lyrium trade. Still, what the Carta was doing… it was wrong, Will, and you did the right thing in stopping them. Don't forget that." She smiled slightly. "Besides, a very wise elf once told me that the difference between good and evil is that good doesn't worry about not being evil."

Will chuckled for a moment before sighing. "I'm tired, Leliana," he admitted quietly. "We've been all over Ferelden, and it's been the same everywhere: those that we were relying on to help us against the Darkspawn have needed _us_ to save _them_. I always have to worry if they'll even be in any shape to help us afterwards, or if they'll fulfill their end of the treaty. I'm just… tired."

"I know, Will," Leliana said, leaning over and pressing her forehead against his. "But it'll just be a while longer. The dwarves are the last of the treaties, and once we find Branka they'll have to listen to us. Arl Eamon will have crafted a plan to remove Loghain, and then all we have to do is finish off the Darkspawn."

"You say that like it's going to be easy," Will said.

"It won't be, but then nothing truly worth doing ever is. The best thing I can think to do is get some rest and remember all the people you've already saved, how many have pledged to carry on the fight. We can win this, Will, please don't lose hope."

Will smiled and gently kissed Leliana on the cheek. "Thank you, Leliana," he whispered.

"Glad to help," the redhead smiled, returning the affection.

The tender moment was interrupted, however, by a sudden cacophony of noise from outside the room.

* * *

><p>Legnar, assassin in the service of House Harrowmont, stepped back from the corner he had been peering around and faded into view again. His team had been pursuing the Wardens for the past few hours, and had yet to find any evidence of support for Behlen. Still, he had his orders to keep watch, especially since the Wardens seemed to have settled down for a rest… or perhaps a meeting.<p>

Now, Legnar did not rightly claim to understand the games of politicians and Deshyrs. He didn't even know what house he had come from: he'd been taken as a baby and trained to become an assassin. However, he also didn't particularly care about any of that. All he needed to know was who was his master and how to do his job, and right now, that job was to be ready to strike the moment the Warden showed his allegiance against his Lord.

Stone crunched slightly behind Legnar, and he turned to see one of his fellows. The dwarf made a few quick hand signs. Like all assassins, both Legnar and his subordinate had their tongues cut out when they were finished with training, since they didn't need them anymore. Just another thing Legnar didn't care about, hand signals were just as efficient and much easier to hide.

'Two squads, coming up the road,' he translated in his head. 'Not ours, not official. Must be Bhelen's.' Legnar nodded, and the other assassin faded back, leaving his leader to think. After a long moment, he waved the other six assassins closer and started signing.

'Spread out and engage stealth. We'll see what Bhelen's warriors want, and if they're here to form an alliance, we'll kill them all in their sleep.' The assassins all nodded and faded away, disappearing into the shadows of the crevices and cracks.

Several minutes later, four armored dwarves entered the corridor Legnar was in and made their way forward. They were less heavily armored than a real assault team, and what protection they did have was muffled by cloths. They were likely trying to be quiet, by assassin standards they were like rampaging brontos.

"You sure the Wardens are down here?" one warrior muttered.

"They have to be, did you see all those bodies?" another growled back as he moved to the very corner Legnar had been at before. If he looked around, then he'd see the golem that followed the Warden, though if he wasn't careful he'd be spotted as well.

It seemed the leading warrior was at least somewhat competent, however, as he pulled out a small stone rod with a mirror attached to the end and used it to peer around the corner. "Yep, the golem's here," he muttered, pulling back. "You, go get the rest of the force, we'll take them by surprise."

"Shouldn't we prepare an ambush for them outside?" another warrior asked, glancing around warily. "You saw what they did to those Darkspawn…"

"I've been in the Deep Roads with Wardens before," the leader said. "They always know when Darkspawn are around, so it's easy to defend against them. They won't know that we're here, though, so we can run them over before they're ready. Now go get the others, Prince Bhelen wants this done with fast." The younger warrior nodded and quickly left.

'How interesting,' Legnar thought, watching Bhelen's fighters peek around the corner again. 'Are they not allied?' If that wasn't the case, then his mission was dramatically different than he had suspected. Whereas before he had been tasked to spy on and potentially kill the Wardens, if they were in fact opposed to Bhelen, then he would need to protect them… preferably in a way that put them in Lord Harrowmont's debt.

Gently gripping a small stone he kept for just this purpose, he tapped it lightly against the wall in a pattern that would be incomprehensible to anyone outside of the Harrowmont Assassins, but would convey simple instructions to his team. The warriors, not paying attention to their flanks (a stupid move in and of itself) didn't notice, allowing Legnar and his assassins to make their way to a different corridor and unstealth.

'Prepare to engage, acid flasks,' Legnar signed quickly. 'Wait for my order.' The others all nodded before reactivating their stealth amulets and returning to their previous hiding places, ready to strike at the right moment.

Several minutes passed before the rest of Bhelen's men arrived, two squads in all. Unless the Wardens were far stronger than expected, they'd be overrun without assistance.

"Right," the leader of the warriors muttered. "We're going to do this hard and fast. No mercy. They may be Wardens, but orders are orders. They made the choice to oppose Prince Bhelen, and now they pay for that choice." A murmur of agreement was heard, and both squads drew their weapons. "Ready? Three, two, one…"

Legnar tapped his signal stone against the wall three times, hard.

Cries of pain echoed throughout the hall as seven flasks of acid shattered, coating the warriors' legs with the stuff. While not powerful enough to disintegrate flesh and metal, it was more than strong enough to be incredibly painful. Most of the warriors collapsed, howling in pain.

"What's going on?" a voice shouted, likely the golem. Legnar ignored it, he was too focus on his mission. There were still some warriors standing, and they knew that there were assassins about. Stepping forward, he drew his twin blades and drove them into the skull of the nearest enemy, killing him instantly. Meanwhile, his team was picking off the other survivors with the kind of grim efficiency that made assassins feared.

"Who's there!?" That was the Warden Commander himself, and from the sound of it he was coming this way fast. Legnar immediately stomped his foot to give the retreat order, and he and his assassins faded into the shadows and dashed away, leaving the remaining Bhelen fighters strewn around the corridor. Legnar stopped at the end of the corridor and waited to see what the Wardens would do.

Lightning crackled along the Commander's curved blade as he wheeled around the corner, a magical shield already up as he scanned the scene before him. "What the…" he muttered as the rest of his team started arriving, all prepared for a fight. "Oghren, what's this?"

"Looks like someone was planning to try and attack us, but got beat to the punch," a dwarf that Legnar identified as Oghren, a disgraced member of House Branka, said. "This lot, looks like House Vollney. Officially neutral, but everyone knows they're with Bhelen." Leaning down, Oghren grabbed the nearest survivor. "What's going on?" he growled into the unfortunate dwarf's face. "Better answer quick, 'cause there's no shortage of sods to interrogate."

"I… We were here to make sure nothing happened…"

Oghren dropped the warrior before kicking him in the gut. "You're lying, try again."

"Oghren," The Warden Commander said quietly. "Let me handle this." With that, he crouched down next to the moaning dwarf. "Why are you really here?"

"I told you," the dwarf coughed. "We were sent to try and help you…"

"I have to agree with Oghren that that's not true. Whoever attacked you was only here for a few seconds, but you all have your weapons drawn, even those that were clearly incapacitated in the first attack." The commander's voice sharpened. "You were sent to kill us, weren't you?"

"No! No, we…" The commander must have made some expression, as the injured warrior's voice spluttered to a halt for a long moment before he sighed. "Yes, we were. We didn't want to, but orders are orders, especially when they come from the dwarf who'll be King of Orzammar. If we'd refused, our House would have been ruined once everything was over."

One of the armored men behind the Commander snorted, "So, you lot aren't content with simply breaking your word, now you're trying to kill us too?" he said. "Remind me to never come to Orzammar on vacation, Maker only knows what happens to people who do."

"Alistair," the commander said simply. "Is this all of you?" he asked the dwarf.

"Yeah, two squads, should have been easy. Then those damn assassins had to mess everything up."

"I doubt it would have been as easy as you think," the Warden said before standing and looking in the direction the assassin's had retreated. "You lot that attacked, come out. I know you're still there."

'Orders?' someone tapped with a signal stone. Legnar remained silent, his thoughts racing. On the one hand, the Warden Commander didn't seem angry, so it was possible he was grateful. Still, Legnar's orders were clear that he should avoid contact if at all possible.

It seemed the Warden was impatient, as he gestured to one of the robed mages behind him. "Jowan, get them out here." The stringy-haired man glanced at another of the armored human warriors. After a long moment, he got a nod and slowly pulled a knife from his belt. "Look," the Warden continued. "If you don't show yourselves in the next ten seconds, I'm going to assume you're hostile and act accordingly. Come out now."

Legnar bit back a huff of frustration. He'd hoped to avoid this. 'Stay back,' he signaled before stepping out and releasing his stealth amulet, fading into view.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" the Warden Commander said, stepping over several of the prone forms of several Bhelen warriors. "Harrowmont's crew, I suppose." Legnar simply nodded. "So, were you lot sent to kill, or simply to keep an eye on us to make sure we weren't working for Bhelen?"

'Watch,' Legnar scratched into the nearest wall. 'When you were threatened, we attacked.'

The commander rolled his eyes. "Well, thanks. Now, go away and leave us alone. I think I've made it clear to you both that I'm not plotting for either side, I'm too busy trying to save the world from people to stubborn to save it themselves. If you continue to follow us, I'll take it as a sign that you're hostile and must be eliminated. Do you understand me?" Legnar nodded. "Good, now go."

Legnar backed up obediently, though he had no intentions of actually following the Warden's wishes. His orders were clear, and he would not disobey them. Hopefully, the Warden would think he had, never suspecting that the assassins were following from a distance.

* * *

><p>"They're still following us?" Leliana asked as Will came back to the front of the group several "days" later.<p>

"Yes, they're still there. Persistent, aren't they?" Will said. Ever since he and his companions had left Aeducan Thaig, the assassins had been shadowing them. They were really good at remaining quiet, but now that Will knew what to listen for, he could pick them out. He had considered making good on his promise to fight them, but the group had decided to let them be so long as they stayed back. Not only were they useful for keeping any further attacks from sneaking up on the party, it was possible that they might prove useful at some point. This hadn't stopped them from trying to lose the assassins as they passed through Caridin's Cross on the way to Ortan Thaig, the Paragon's birth home and the place where Oghren believed Branka would go to hunt for clues, but for the most part Will was willing to pretend he didn't know they were there.

Fortunately, it seemed Bhelen's men had gotten the hint. After some debate, Will had decided to allow Wynne to heal some of their wounds, enough to allow the survivors to limp back to Orzammar but not enough to remain a serious threat. Will had also told them to tell Bhelen that any future groups would not receive this mercy. Will didn't want to kill too many dwarven warriors, he'd need them to save Ferelden after he found Branka, so he hoped the crazy prince would take his advice, or at least it would take too long for any further attackers to make it.

"How long until we reach Ortan?" Will asked Wynne, who was still holding the map.

"It should only be a few minutes longer, William," Wynne said.

"There are some Darkspawn ahead," Alistair said. "There are also some… some strange senses. They're not Darkspawn, but they feel like them." Will blinked before focusing his own senses to find what Alistair meant.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "That's strange… Maybe something's been eating Darkspawn and contracted the Taint, but not a pure version."

"Ghouls of some sort, then," Alistair said. "That'd make sense. Wonder what'd be brave enough to attack Darkspawn."

"Plenty of things," Oghren said. "Even before the 'spawn showed up, there were plenty of nasty things living in the Deep Roads: spiders, deepstalkers, wraiths, the lot. If I had to guess, the spiders'd be the ones eating Darkspawn if they're numerous enough. They generally fight each other, but there have been some records of them teaming up if they feel threatened by the same enemy."

"As if we hadn't seen enough of those in the Brecilian Forest," Leliana muttered.

"Scared?" Will asked gently, causing the former bard to laugh.

"Not really. I'm with you, after all. I just wish it wasn't spiders."

Will nodded. "I'm sure we all think the same, spiders are nasty under the best of circumstances, Blighted ones are going to be a pain."

"Let's focus on that when we see them," Wynne said. "We're almost at the Thaig." Everyone fell silent as a distant Shriek was heard squealing in pain, followed by a strange chittering noise. "Sounds like they're fighting, maybe we can avoid them."

"And with any luck, they'll distract those assassins while they're at it." Will muttered, making his way forward.

The first group of Darkspawn was battling a large hive of spiders in a massive cavern that marked the entrance to the old Thaig. Most of them seemed willing to let the party pass unchallenged, though several Genlocks at the edge of the fight turned after they finished off one of the larger spiders. Not wanting to attract the ire of more of the combatants, Will didn't use his fire to kill them, instead allowing Leliana, Jowan, and Morrigan to use more quiet methods of killing the beasts. Aside from this brief distraction, the group reached the other end of the cavern without trouble.

"Let's see if the assassin's are daring enough to follow," Will muttered as he looked out at the Thaig proper. Like Caridin's Cross, it was much more ruined than Aeducan Thaig, and there were signs that the Darkspawn occasionally lived here. Will sensed several groups of Blighted creatures spread over the Thaig, both Darkspawn and spiders, though the latter seemed more numerous. "Most of the Darkspawn seem to have pulled out of the area."

"Yeah, they're preparing for their full attack on the surface, if they aren't there already," Oghren said. "But we need to focus. Branka wouldn't be stupid enough to use any of these buildings for her base, too much Blight around. No, she'd have used one of the side caverns, close enough to send scout parties in but far enough to avoid attention."

Wynne glanced at the map. "If this is correct, then there may be several places that match that description on the other side of the Thaig. We should start there." Everyone agreed, and Will took the lead.

Almost immediately, a cluster of Darkspawn, including an Armored Ogre, two Genlock Alphas, and a group of lesser Genlocks turned and made their way towards the group. Since this was an open area, Will was able to divert the massive Ogre from the rest of the group with a few well-aimed Arcane Bolts, leaving the smaller Darkspawn it had been with to be slaughtered. Meanwhile, he easily dodged its clumsy charges, finally getting into position to hamstring it before leaping onto its shoulders to ram his blade into its neck. After several attacks, he finished severing the beast's head from its shoulders.

The sound of the battle attracted some of the other groups around the Thaig, though it seemed they were almost as interested in fighting each other as finding the Wardens. Will sensed groups of spiders and Darkspawn meeting as they made their way towards him, and the situation began to descend into a frenzy. Wishing to avoid the worst of the fighting, Will directed the party towards the closer of the two bridges across the river that cut through the Thaig. Still, they couldn't hope to avoid all the enemies, as a cluster of spiders intercepted them.

Even more massive than most giant spiders, these corrupted monsters crawled across the bridge in a fury, their pincers clicking excitedly. Despite this, they shared many of the weaknesses of their smaller cousins. Several were frozen by a wave of ice and shattered by a boulder from Shale, and the poison they spit in retaliation was blocked by Will's Arcane Shield. Another cluster squealed as Jowan boiled their blood, while one suddenly lunged and tackled two of its companions into the river on the blood mage's orders. Those few that made it were met by a cluster of warriors and quickly squashed.

"Over the bridge!" Will called, leading the way and telekinetically crushing a single Hurlock Emissary that had somehow made its way through the raging battle to attack them. A moment later, he sensed a pair of Shrieks and was able to intercept one, briefly dueling it before cutting off its arms and ramming Spellweaver through its gut. Meanwhile, the second had been overwhelmed by Thunder and obliterated by Wynne and Morrigan.

"Will, I think they're starting to mark us as the greater threat!" Alistair called, and Will couldn't help but agree. Several of the smaller battles were breaking up, and survivors from both groups were turning towards the party.

"Hurry, let's get out of the Thaig before we get overrun!" he said, leading the way towards the edge of the war zone. Several small groups, both spider and Darkspawn, tried to get in their way, but they were dispatched quickly and quietly, keeping the majority of the enemies from intervening. By the time the party made it to the caverns, those spiders and Darkspawn that had been showing an interest in a temporary alliance seemed to be going back to killing each other. "Right, now we just have to find out which of these Branka stayed in and look for any clues as to where she went."

Oghren nodded. "Knowing Branka, she'll have left a strongbox, something to let any reinforcements know where to look." He looked around at the visible entrances. "She'd have also chosen something difficult to get into, she knows how dangerous the Deep Roads are. We should…"

"Wait, look!" Leliana said, pointing to one of the openings. Will's head turned just in time to see something retreating deeper. He immediately focused his senses and was surprised to find a faint Taint, not nearly enough to be a Darkspawn or even a Blighted spider, but certainly something on the way to ghouldom.

"Let's check it out," he said after he told everyone else what he'd sensed. "Whatever, or whoever, it is, they may have important information." With that, he led the way to the opening, Spellweaver drawn and ready.

Several twists later, the party came out into a wide-open area, one still bearing the signs of inhabitation. "Branka was here," Oghren said, pointing to a nearby wall. "She liked to take samples of stone, check their composition. That's her work right there. Besides, this is exactly the kind of cave."  
>"And those aren't natural," Zelda said quietly, nodding to a cluster of rough fortifications just inside the cavern. "Something like that would have taken weeks to make."<p>

Oghren snorted. "For surfacers, maybe. Dwarves? Day or two, tops, especially with Darkspawn howling outside. Great motivator, that."

Sten ignored the byplay, instead taking several steps forward and peering into the darkness. "Come out, creature," he rumbled. "We know you're here." Will blinked, he'd almost forgotten why they'd come into this cave. Concentrating, he brought his Warden Sense back and found what Sten was looking at.

A dwarf slowly crawled from the small hole he'd hidden himself in, his stance hunched and animalistic. His hair and beard were rough, stringy and uneven and in desperate need of a wash. His armor was a patchwork combination of rusty chain mail, plates, and leather. What Will noticed most, though, was the wild look in his eyes. This was a dwarf that had lost all but the most tenuous grip on sanity long ago, and Will instinctively tensed.

"There's nothing for you here!" the dwarf called, twitching as his gaze jerked between the various people before him. "It's _mine_! I claim it!"

"Calm down," Will said, waving the others back as he took a step closer. "We're just taking cover from the Darkspawn."

"No! No, you're a surfacer! You've come to take what is mine! Ruck won't let you! Crunch your bones!"

Shale snickered. "Not likely," he said. "In fact…"

"Shale," Will said simply, not taking his eyes off the dwarf. "Not now."

The dwarf, however, was staring wide-eyed at Shale. "Golem? Sacred guardian? But how… this is my treasure, why would you take it?"

"We're not here to hurt you," Wynne said gently. "We're just looking for someone. Do you know where Branka is?"

"I doubt it," Oghren snorted. "Branka'd never let a Blighted scavenger like this anywhere near her camp. Poor bastard could snap at any time, I'm surprised he's as lucid as he is."

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Jowan asked, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Those potions we got…"

"There's no cure for the Blight," Alistair said sadly. "Not at this point. All those potions do is keep the Taint from taking hold, it can't do anything for someone who's already this bad off."

"Well, there's one thing we can do," Oghren said, patting his axe.

Leliana gasped. "You can't be suggesting that we kill him," she hissed. "He's no threat to us…"

"Never said he was," Oghren said. "Nah, we'd be doing him a favor at this point. He's not really alive anymore, not in any way anyone would want to live. He'll probably die soon anyways. I'd take a quick axe blow over a slow, wasting death any day."

Will, meanwhile, had taken another step forward. "Ruck? You've been here for some time, right?" the dwarf nodded slowly, his glazed eyes meeting Will's for a moment before widening.

"You… you're one of the Dark Masters foes… I see the darkness in you. Grey like the stone…"

"Yes, I'm a Grey Warden," Will said. "Please, Ruck, if you know something, you have to help me."

Finally, Ruck beckoned Will forward. "Many treasures… all Ruck's," he said, showing Will to a rock near the back of the old camp. When he pushed it aside, Will saw a large pile of old and broken equipment: armor and weapons of both dwarven and Darkspawn make, remains of many subterranean creatures. "All Ruck has, these treasures… but Ruck is willing to trade for them, yes?"

"Is there a box?" Will asked. "Something small, seemingly useless…"

"Yes, yes! Box," Ruck fell to his knees beside the pile and started digging, finally coming up with a small silverite lockbox. "It doesn't open, but it is a box!"

"Can I see it?" Will asked. "It may be very important."

Ruck looked at Will, a slight glint in his eyes. "What are you willing to give for it?" he asked. "What treasure will you replace it with?"

Will's eyes drifted over the dwarf's horde, looking for something that he might need. "You're blade's looking rusted," he said finally. "Would you accept a replacement?"

"Yes! Weapons good down here, great treasure!" Ruck said eagerly.

"Here, take one of mine," Zelda said, holding out a short blade. "I can get another one."

Oghren snorted "I still think it'd be best if we killed him, he's no use to anyone like this."

"No!" Ruck shouted, his eyes blazing. "No, you won't hurt Ruck!" Will warily watched the crazed dwarf brandish his new blade. He was still absolutely no threat, but best to be careful.

"If he doesn't want to die and he's not threatening us, then we won't hurt him," Will said before turning back to the dwarf. "Well, Ruck, thank you for the box." With that, he retreated to a different part of the cave with his party. "Do you think this is what we're looking for, Oghren?"

"Here, let me see it a moment." Will handed the box over, and Oghren studied it for a long moment. "Yeah, no doubt about it. Now we just need to get it open."

"I'll get it," Leliana said, pulling out a set of picks. A minute later, she had managed to get the box open and pulled out a pair of small books. "Look like journals of some sort," she said as she handed them to Will, who started flipping through them.

"Looks like she was here for a while," he muttered. "Found quite a bit of stuff, old family records, maps, the works."

Oghren rolled his eyes. "She'll have put anything you want to see at the back of the second one," he said, grabbing the book from Will's hand and turning to the end. "Yep, this is it, listen to this. 'We found evidence today that the Anvil of the Void was not built in Ortan Thaig. We will go south, to the Dead Trenches. My soldiers tell me that I am mad, that the Dead Trenches are crawling with Darkspawn, that we will surely die before we find the Anvil… if we find it. I leave this here in case they are right. If I die in the Trenches, then perhaps some can yet walk past my corpse and retrieve the Anvil, for if it remains lost, then so do we all. If I have not returned and Oghren yet lives…'" Oghren shook his head. "That's all you need to know, we have a direction now, at least, and a recent one. This was dated only six months ago."

"What are the Dead Trenches?" Will asked.

"Used to be called Bownammar, the City of the Dead," Oghren explained. "Caridin built it, so it makes sense that the Anvil would be nearby. Nowadays, thought, it's Darkspawn territory, though the Legion's still contesting parts of it. Branka'll have found plenty of help there."

Will nodded slowly. "Good. We'll rest here for a while, and be ready to go. How far are the Trenches?"

"About a day's walk, if we're fast." Will was about to ask another question when he was interrupted.

"Warden, we may have a problem," Morrigan said quietly. "Listen."

Alistair snorted. "What do you mean, I don't hear… anything…"

Ever since the battle between the spiders and the Darkspawn had begun, the sound of their struggle had always been in the background, so much so that Will had started to tune it out. Now, now there was nothing. "Who won?" Will muttered as he once again reached out with his Warden senses and found only spiders. Unfortunately, many of those spiders were heading towards the cave.

"Get ready!" Will called as the first of the beasts began to crawl in. Fortunately, Shale was close enough to block the initial charge, allowing the others to get ready. Ruck had vanished into some hole, and didn't seem like he was going to come out anytime soon.

Still, the chokepoint served the party well, as did the old fortifications. Dozens of spiders charged, but were shot, burned, electrocuted, frozen, and chopped to pieces before they could hope to hurt the party. Still, they came, especially after a rumbling began filling the cavern.

"What's that?" Zelda called as she ducked under a glob of acid while simultaneously ramming her sword through a spider's chitin.

"Queen!" Morrigan shouted back.

She was right. A moment later, the thick, clawed, hairy legs of a massive spider queen began forcing heir way through the opening. Will tossed a fireball at it, but the spider was undaunted, breaking the small passage to force its way into the old camp.

This queen was even more massive than the one Will had killed in the Brecilian ruins, and from the spikes coming out of its abdomen it had been Blighted for quite some time. Its fangs were clearly jagged, dripping deadly black poison as it charged towards Sten, who was nearest. The qunari snarled, Asala swatting two lesser spiders aside as he dodged away from their massive parent. "Hold on, Sten!" Will shouted, darting forward and swinging Spellweaver at the monster. It hissed in pain as lighting arched across its wounds, and one of its bladed legs lashed out at Will, knocking him away. However, the distraction gave Sten time to prepare a massive blow, taking one of the beasts other legs off. This didn't seem to bother it much as it lunged forward and knocked the qunari over, baring its massive fangs for a deathblow. Fortunately, Will had been able to recover and cast a Force Field, keeping his companion safe before moving in to attack again.

Meanwhile, the others were holding off the remaining spiders. Shale, Oghren, Zelda and Alistair had formed a line at the entrance and were deflecting any attempts by the spiders to breach it. Meanwhile, the other mages and Leliana were picking off an spiders that tried to crawl along the walls or ceiling while, Thunder carefully gnawed on one that had made it through. Will wasn't paying a huge amount of attention, but it seemed that there were fewer spiders making it through than there had been before. Still, he didn't have time to waste as the queen turned its full attention on him, its multitude of eyes flashing as it hissed.

He was able to dodge the first attack from its fangs, but when he tried to drive Spellweaver into the skull it swatted him aside again. Turning his tumble into a roll, Will brought his blade up and cast another wave of fire, keeping its attention focused firmly on him. Darting aside from a poke of its leg, Will carefully lopped the spike off, causing the queen to let out another hiss of pain as lighting coursed through its body. It lunged at him with its fangs again, but this time Will jumped, landing on the joint between its head and thorax. As the queen hissed and thrashed, trying to throw him loose, he grabbed one of the spines and used it to lean out and drive Spellweaver right between the beast's two largest eyes. After a long moment, it finally fell flat and started twitching.

Carefully, Will jumped off and quickly turned to face the queen, making sure that it was in fact dead. When it did nothing more but continue to twitch its legs, Will nodded and turned to see if the others needed help. As it turned out, they were just finishing off the last of them as he raised Spellweaver, and after a moment everyone gasped and leaned against the nearest surface. "We're lucky so many of them were killed by Darkspawn," Alistair gasped. "We barely survived as it is… especially when that… _thing_… burst in. I hope we never see anything like it again."

Will chuckled. "Alistair, that was _nothing_ compared to a High Dragon, and we know we're going to have to fight one of those, or at least something like it."

"Don't remind me," the other Warden whined.

"Are there any more coming?" Oghren asked, taking a swig from his flask. Will shook his head; there were more spiders in the Thaig, but it seemed they had realized that they couldn't win anymore and were willing to let the party rest. Still, they would have to be on guard.

"Everyone, be sure to take another dose of the potion, we don't want anyone getting infected. Let's rest here an hour or so before moving on to the Dead Trenches." Everyone was too tired to disagree, and instead settled along the wall opposite the entrance.

"Is it over?" Ruck asked, poking his head out of the hole he'd been hiding in.

"Yeah, your treasure's safe now," Will said. "There's…" His head jerked up at the small sound near the cave entrance.

"What is it?" Leliana whispered.

"I think our assassin friends are back," Will hissed back, rising to his feet. "Are you there?" he called.

A long moment later, the assassin leader he'd seen before appeared. His armor was covered in blood, both spider, Darkspawn, and what looked like his own. His eyes, finally visible because of his missing helmet, were wide. "What happened?" Will asked, his eyes flicking around the cavern to make sure the others weren't sneaking up on him.

Slowly, the assassin leader scratched a series of words on the ground. Glancing at the others, Will slowly stepped forward to read what was written.

"So many… others all dead…" he whispered. "I did tell you to leave," he said, glancing up at the dwarf. "You should get out of here, now. You won't be any use to anyone if you die to. Go back to Orzammar and report to Harrowmont what happened." The assassin nodded dumbly before turning and walking away, fading back into the shadows.

"Poor sod," Oghren said. "Assassins don't leave the city, they're targets are all other dwarves. Out here, the enemies don't care how well you blend in, how quietly you can poison a noble. If you can't fight them off, you die, simple as that. I'm actually amazed that one survived."

No one had an answer for that, and after a long hour filled with nothing but planning, the party left on the next step of their journey, leaving countless bodies behind.

They knew that it would only grow worse from here.

* * *

><p>The Vanguard hissed in annoyance as it smashed a passing Genlock with its shield, killing it instantly. The Vanguard was <em>bored<em>!

Since the slaughter of the Surfacers, the Archdemon had forbid the Vanguard from joining the bands of its fellow Darkspawn in sowing fear among the surfacers, reminding them of the cost of defeat. No, the Vanguard had to wait, had to oversee the lesser Darkspawn and ghouls in preparation for the Blight to begin in earnest. True, it had been able to sense the various assaults from its place at the ruined fortress, but simply _observing_ a battle was not the same as _fighting_ in it, feeling flesh give way under its blade, blood splattering its face, fear filling its nostrils… yes, that was what the Vanguard had been born to do, not stand idle.

Growling, the Vanguard pulled its new blade from over its shoulder and studied it. The blade was of good make, befitting of its former wielder. The Vanguard had rather wished that it had been able to face the Commander of the Wardens in true battle rather than simply butcher the warrior as he knelt, dying by an ogre's attack, but wielding the new weapon would have to satisfy it, along with the memories of the other four Wardens it had personally killed that wonderful night. Remembering, and dreaming of future battles, future slaughters.

Reaching the top of the tower that the surfacers had tried to use to send some sort of signal, the Vanguard looked at the rotted corpse of the ogre that had been sent to take the place. It knew that the Wardens that had done this still lived, and it had seen flashes of other battles, and it was eager to face them itself. One of them, the one in green, especially excited the Vanguard. That one was fast, strong, and would be a worthy opponent one day. 'Soon, soon,' it consoled itself, staring out at the world, feeling the cold winter air on its flesh.

"Vanguard."

The Vanguard stiffened instinctively as the Archdemon spoke. "You're will?" it asked eagerly. "Is now the moment?"

"Soon. The Horde moves this hour, and will reach you within the week. Then, the Blight shall spread and destroy all in its path. Prepare for my arrival."

"At once!" the Vanguard thought. Soon… blood would once more be spilled, and the Vanguard couldn't wait. Throwing back its head, it let out a roar that echoed throughout the blighted fortress, a roar that was soon joined by the cries of its fellows. Soon, they would finally have their fill of blood.

_AN: After far too long, I have posted another chapter, and I hope you like it._


	25. Battle for the Abyss

Reviewer Response:

War-Torn Hero: I'm glad you liked it. I never really liked the dichotomy Bioware forced on us: support the broken Dwarven system as represented by Harrowmont or support a murderous lunatic in Behlen. Plus, Will doesn't really like being pushed around by people who should be on his side but are ducking their duty on a technicality.

V-rcingetorix: Thanks for the reviews. The events of the Gauntlet were mostly happening in the participant's heads, so none of the obvious third options would work: however Will was clever enough that his mind invented a roundabout option. As for the spider, that was one of the things that Dragon Age 2 really did right (I don't hate the game, but I admit it has its flaws.)

Guest: Thanks for all the kind words.

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Edit: Just a few minor corrections, apologies if this gets counted as an update.

Chapter 24: Battle for the Abyss

_The dragon roared, purple fire blazing from its mouth as it rode the stale currents of the Deep Roads. It was answered by its infinite army, thousands of soulless monsters shrieking their desire for blood. The end would soon come as all that was good in the world was drowned beneath an unending tide of Blight…_

"Will!"

The Warden's eyes open immediately, flicking around the rocky camp in search of whatever had pulled him from his Blight-tainted dreams. He relaxed when he saw it was only Leliana, looking worriedly at him from where she had been leaning against him as they slept. Gently pressing his forehead to hers, he put on a reassuring smile. "I'm alright," he said. "Just some bad dreams."

The redhead sighed before gently kissing him. "Is it worse, when you're closer to them?" she asked quietly.

"I think so," Will said. "The Archdemon's down here… I guess it's only natural that its influence would be stronger." He tried not to think about how much closer he was going to have to get to that beast before this was all over, instead wrapping one arm around Leliana. "Thank you."

"Anytime, _mon amour_," she whispered.

Before the two could get further lost in each other's presence, Alistair coughed awkwardly. "Hey," he said, causing the two to look at him. "Well, since we've run through the watch cycle, I guess it's almost time to keep moving. I was thinking of trying to make some food…"

"Alistair," Wynne said, placing a hand on Alistair's shoulder. "What have I told you about cooking without supervision?" Alistair bowed his head and muttered an apology, causing Will to smile; it seemed that even former Templar couldn't resist the Senior Enchanter's mother-like scolding. As the elder mage walked Alistair over to the small fire he'd started, Will helped Leliana to her feet and moved around the camp, helping everyone else wake as well.

An hour later, the party had stepped out of their campsite and back into the Deep Roads proper, their eyes and ears scanning for danger. However, ever since they had left Ortan Thaig, they had faced little in the way of resistance. The deep stalkers had vanished without a trace, as had the spiders. Even the darkspawn were mostly absent, though Will guessed that they were simply consolidating their forces for the invasion of the surface, rather than having been driven off.

"Almost to Bownammar," Oghren grumbled. From the amount of alcohol the dwarf had ingested, Will had expected him to have a massive hangover; but it seemed that he had developed something of an immunity. "No sign of Legion markers, so I guess they've been driven back out of these tunnels. Wonder if they're prepping for a counterattack once the Blight moves to the surface."

Will glanced down at the short redhead. "You certainly know a lot about the Legion," he said. "Do you have friends there?"

Oghren snorted. "The Legion's made up of dead folks, remember," he said. "Kind of hard to be friends with the dead." After a moment, he sighed. "After Branka left without me, I considered signing up, trying to find her. In the end, figured I'd wait a year or so, then, well, then stuff happened. Never got around to it."

Trying to lighten the mood, Will smiled. "I'm glad you didn't join. If you'd gone and died, then I'd probably still be back in Orzammar, beating my head against the wall."

The dwarf laughed. "Yeah, that does get old, doesn't it? Believe me, I've been doing it for two years." He looked up. "So, I've been thinkin' something. Rumor has it you're the Commander of the Grey; aren't you a bit young. I mean, I know you're an elf so you'll be scrawny all your life, but I figured they'd at least get an older scrawny elf to do it." Despite the harshness of the words, Will could tell that Oghren was actually interested. Still, that didn't make his answer a happier one.

"There are only two Wardens left, three if you count Jowan," he said quietly. "The rest died at Ostagar, when Loghain betrayed the king. That's what got us into this mess to begin with."

"Yeah, we heard rumors of that," Oghren said, shaking his head. "Even the nug-humpers in the Assembly generally don't feed their own to the Darkspawn." He snorted. "Though that's probably mostly 'cause they can't get away with it. Much easier to poison someone and blame it on someone else. Safer, too."

Will sighed. "I don't understand," he said. "Orzammar's surrounded on all sides by enemies, why do the nobles make more for themselves inside the city? It seems like a better idea to put aside those grudges and games and fight the Darkspawn."

"You could say the same for the Surfacers," Oghren said. "The thing is, kid, that people, dwarf, human, whatever, are very good at pretending a problem doesn't exist when it's out of sight. The nobles are much happier letting the warriors do most of the work against the Darkspawn. Oh, they'll put on a show when they have to, getting into their fancy armor and tromping around the Deep Roads, talking about 'driving the 'spawn back into their holes,' but nothing ever comes of it." He sighed. "I gave up trying to understand years ago."

Personally, Will thought that was a rather fatalistic attitude, but he decided that Oghren, having lived in that dysfunctional mess for his whole life, was entitled to be cynical about it. Dirthamen knows, he had his ideas about the Circle, and he'd been shot of the place for a while. "Well, let's find Branka," he said. "It won't be much, but at least we can get the Deshyrs off their seats for the Blight."

Oghren laughed. "I like you," he said. "You're alright." Pulling out the flask he always carried, he offered it to Will. "Have a swig?"

Will had never had alcohol in his entire life: he tried to get some when he'd been younger, but Solona had caught him and given him a long lecture of all the terrible things that it could do to the body. Still, he supposed one sip couldn't hurt, especially if it was offered by a new companion trying to make bridges. "Thank you, Oghren," he said, taking a careful sip.

His eyes widened in shock as he stumbled, bumping into the wall hard enough to make his armor clang. Spitting and gagging, he collapsed to his knees. "_What in the void is this?!_" he choked out in Elvish, staring bleary-eyed around as everyone hurried over, Leliana worriedly calling his name.

Oghren, however, was laughed his head off. "Should have pegged you for a lightweight," he chortled, taking his drink back. "You'd best stick to the Surfacer stuff for a while before going for the hard lican."

"I don't think I'll ever drink again," Will groaned, allowing Leliana and Jowan to help him up as his vision returned to normal. "Alcohol or anything else." Still, he accepted the water-skin that was offered and drained it, trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth.

"Well, your loss, more for me," Oghren said, taking a drink as he turned. "We should probably get going. We're almost to the Dead Trenches, and just past that's Bownammar." Everyone quieted down after that and began to march, once again tense and wary.

As they walked, a subtle pain began to fill Will's head. It wasn't sharp enough to be distracting, but it was there: a steady ache that kept him on edge. From the way that Alistair was rubbing his forehead, it seemed he felt it to. It wasn't the Darkspawn sense… well, it was, but this was different. Normally, that was just a tingling sensation that he could focus on to get a better idea of where the Darkspawn were. This, thought… this was worse, much worse.

"I think… that's the Archdemon," Alistair whispered. "I think we're heading right for it."

Sten, walking just behind the two Wardens, piped up. "Then we should strike it now. It is the ultimate target for Wardens, is it not?"

"It might not stay to fight," Will said. "But if it does, and we do get the chance to kill it, then we'll do what we can." The Qunari seemed satisfied with that response, as he quieted down and continued to follow. The ache continued to build, and a strange sound like drum beats began to fill the corridor. Finally, Will caught sight of the opening into a massive cavern, one filled with a strange light. Taking a deep breath, he led the way out of the tunnel.

The cavern was even larger than he had imagined, large enough to easily fit the Circle Tower, Redcliffe Castle, and several other major human constructions. A series of ornate stone bridges crossed a massive trench, and the light that filled the cavern seemed to be coming from that. Thinking it was lava like flowed through Orzammar, Will carefully made his way over and peered down.

What he saw chilled his blood.

Darkspawn. Hundreds of them, _thousands_ of them, more than he had ever thought he'd see, were gathered at the bottom of the trench. The light came from the countless torches, and the drumbeat came from several massive drums near the front and back, each being banged by a trio of Ogres.

"Maker have mercy…" Leliana gasped in horror, her eyes wide. Similar oaths came from the rest of the party, even Sten looked disturbed.

Suddenly, the pain in Will's head peaked, and a massive roar shook the caverns. Looking at one of the distant bridges, Will saw a shape that he had thought was stone rising and spreading its massive wings, its eyes glaring across the distance straight into his. Purple fire boiled in the beast's mouth, smoldering black smoke pouring from its nose. There was only one thing that this could be.

"The Archdemon."

As Will spoke, the tainted dragon-god lifted off, beating its heavy wings hard enough that Will felt the air moving from where he stood. Once it had gained some height, the Archdemon soared forward, gathering its flames in its mouth.

"Scatter!" someone called, and the group did so just before the dragon launched its attack, and the fireball slammed into the ground where they had been standing and exploded, almost knocking Will off his feet. As he drew Spellweaver, he shuddered as he looked at the molten rock: while it may not be white-hot, it seemed that flame was more than dangerous enough to kill anything it touched.

As the dragon banked around for another attack, Shale ripped a large rock from the ground and heaved it, striking the creature in the neck. For all the good the attack did, the golem might as well have thrown a pebble. Wynne, Jowan and Morrigan were adding their own power, various spells striking the beast's head and neck. Again, they had no visible effect before another ball of fire flew. Will threw a quick ball of his own fire and mingled the two, attempting to gain control over the purple blast and twist it back on its creator, but to his horror the attack resisted his efforts, and he was forced to roll to the side to avoid the attack.

"We'll never kill it if it stays out there!" Zelda cried, a flash of Holy Smite hitting the Archdemon and having no effect. "We have to draw it to solid ground."

'It'll be too smart for that,' Will thought grimly as the dragon lazily spun for another pass. 'This isn't like the dragon near the Ashes; it's intelligent and tactical, and it's not like Flemath either: it's not interested in playing around.' Out loud, he called, "Head for the bridge! It'll keep strafing us if we stay here!" Everyone nodded and started sprinting, the mages still throwing the occasional attack when they could. The Archdemon pursued, more and more fireballs blasting. Will noticed that it was focusing most of its attention on himself and Alistair; it would occasionally aim at the other mages, but everyone else was ignored.

It seemed his fellow Warden had noticed as well. "Stay away from us!" he called. "It wants to kill Wardens!"

Another explosion rocked the cavern, and Will heard a gasp of pain. Turning, he saw Wynne had been knocked over by one of the blasts, and from the way the Archdemon was looking at her it was going to try and finish her off. "Here, you damn lizard!" he shouted, coming to a halt and launching a wave of fire to get the Archdemon's attention. "Hit me!"

"Will!" Leliana cried as the dragon took the bait, purple flames burning in its mouth as it roared.

Suddenly, a THUMP filled the cavern, and a spurt of blood came from the Archdemon's side and it shrieked in agony, its attack flying off course and melting a section of rock several meters behind Will. Before anyone could figure out what had happened, several more THUMPs were heard, and the dragon reeled some more. Looking around, Will saw a series of massive ballistae lined up atop a raised section of rock, manned by a large group of dwarves. "Launch!" he heard someone call, and another volley of bolts tore into the Archdemon.

For a moment, Will thought it was going to land nearby, giving the party a chance to attack it, but instead it dove out of sight, down into the trench. Dashing to the edge, Will peered over to see the dragon landing on an outcropping about halfway down before turning its eyes back up. For a moment, the two stared at each other, and Will almost stumbled at the sheer _hate_ the Archdemon directed at him over the Taint bond. Finally, however, it lifted off and flew away, letting out another roar. Looking further down, Will saw the massive army of Darkspawn begin to march, following their leader.

"They're heading south," Oghren said grimly. "From what I've heard from the scouts, that's the direction of their surface breach."

"Ostagar," Will said grimly, kicking a chunk of rock off the edge and grimly hoping that it crushed a skull when it landed. "The Blight's going to begin soon. We're running out of time."

The clang of armor caused Will to turn and make his way back to the others as they gathered, watching a group of armored dwarves making their way over. Rather than the bright, shiny armor Will had seen in the city, all of these warriors wore dark, matted grey metal, perfect for blending into dark stone. Despite this, it was clearly just as loving maintained as the city warriors, perhaps even moreso. "The Legion of the Dead, I presume," Will said.

The lead dwarf nodded his bald and heavily tattooed head. "Warden," he said. "I admit, I wasn't expecting you to be out here, not in a time of Blight." He shrugged. "You did almost get the Archdemon, I guess. Sorry our ballistae weren't able to force it down. Name's Kardol, by the way."

"William Surana," Will said. "Your help is much appreciated." He tensed, glancing at the bridge and seeing a large mass of Darkspawn charging across it, their weapons already out. "Careful," he said.

"Already on it," Kardol said, gesturing to the ballista, which had indeed rotated to fire flaming bolts into the horde, slaying them by the dozens. "Legionaries, prepare yourselves!" he called, unhooking his shield and moving with his men to cover the bridge. Will nodded to the others and followed, bowing his head and whispering the incantation of Inferno.

The swirling pillar of fire leapt up in the middle of the advancing horde, and those that could not stop in time were incinerated. The ones on the side of Inferno closer to the dwarves were first riddled by crossbow bolts and the survivors were shredded by the Legionaries. The rest were similarly slaughtered as soon as the flames died.

"I like your style, Warden," Kardol said. "If you hadn't been here we might have taken casualties." He stared up at Will, but the power in his presence made it clear that he was not intimidated or embarrassed by the difference in height.

Will smiled grimly. "That was for your help with the Archdemon," he said.

Kardol nodded. "You never did get around to saying what you were up to down here," he said.

"Have you heard about what happened at Ostagar?" Will asked, curious as to how much the dwarves in Orzammar had told the Legion. Kardol nodded sharply.

"Yeah, we heard," he said. "Must say I'm a bit surprised a kid like you survived when Wardens like Duncan didn't make it."

"You knew Duncan?" Alistair asked, a note of longing in his voice.

The Legion leader snorted. "Of course I did," he said. "He came down here with his Wardens a few times. He was a good man and a good warrior I was… saddened by his death." He shook his head. "But no more distractions, Warden, why are you here? It seems you should have more important things on your mind than traipsing around down here."

"We're looking for Paragon Branka," Will said. "The Assembly refuses to acknowledge the treaty signed until there's a King of Orzammar, and I didn't have time to play politics, so I'm looking for the one person who can end the standoff."

Kardol cursed under his breath. "Damn Deshyers, the whole lot of them," he said before looking up. "I sympathize with you, Warden, having to deal with those fools. As the Commander of the Legion, I'm actually allowed in Orzammar despite my deceased status, but I avoid the place." He sighed. "Still, I'm afraid you've probably come out here in vain. About six months ago, the Paragon and her House busted through the Darkspawn lines here at Bownammar, bought us some space, but two months later another Darkspawn offensive drove us back, and we lost all contact. From the number of Darkspawn around… I doubt that she's still alive."

"She is," Will said. "I know she is."

The dwarf raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "Your business, not mine, Warden," he said. "My men and I were just planning to launch an assault now that the main horde is moving on; buy us some territory to work with once the Blight ends. You're welcome to join us if you want."

"Alright," Will said, holding out a hand. Kardol gripped it briefly in his rock-steady grip before turning to his men as they filed out of the passages behind him, dozens and dozens of them.

"Alright, you lot!" he shouted. "The mission to retake Bownammar begins this hour! All warriors, make ready! Ballistae, rear guard, keep your weapons ready and your eyes sharp: the Spawn have been known to launch flanking attacks! May the Ancestors bless our blades!" A cheer rose from the gathered dwarves as they began running around in a picture of organized chaos.

"What should we do?" Will asked.

Kardol rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Mind lending your expertise to the Scouts?" he asked. "They go out ahead of the main force, sniff out any ambushes or buildups. If possible, they eliminate them, and if not they call in one of the rapid-response forces."

Will nodded. "Right," he said before turning to the others. "Alright, lets split into two groups; I'll be in one, Alistair in the other so that both can sense Darkspawn." Everyone nodded. "Leliana, Sten, Jowan and Oghren will be with me, while the others will go with Alistair. Stick with your Scouts, and we'll meet up on the other side. Be careful, everyone."

"You too, William," Zelda said as she and the others of Group Two stepped to one side.

"Right, Warden," Kardol said, looking up from the conversation he had been having with one of his lieutenants. "The Scouts are gathering over there, go figure the details out with them." With that, he walked off, still deep in conversation.

As the Warden parties made their way over to the Scouts, Will found himself wryly thinking of the Battle of Redcliffe. Compared to this; the preparations and planning of that event looked amateurish. Everywhere he looked; dwarven leaders were pointing at maps, while their warriors were rapidly and professionally checking each other's equipment. Though everyone was shouting, it was clear that everyone knew what they were doing and were moving towards their designated positions.

"It's a thing of beauty, isn't it?" Oghren said as the group made their way past a small group of bronto cavalry. "I've been part of my share of Deep Road expeditions; and half the time the nobles are so busy bickering over who gets the most glorious posting that the warriors have time to sit down and get a drink." He sighed. "This is how it should be: dwarves who actually know what they're doing going about doing it." Will couldn't help but agree: he doubted he'd be out here looking for the Paragon if the likes of Kardol were in charge of Orzammar.

"Hail, Warden" another dwarf said, his armor slightly lighter than the usual fair but still looking like it would be heavy enough to weigh down any human or elf that tried to wear it. "I'm the leader of the Legionnaire Scouts. Glad you could join us." He pointed to group armored dwarves a short distance. "Those are going to be our advance guard teams, the rest of us are rapid response. Go talk to them for. Stone bless you."

It took a moment for the preparing Legionnaires to notice him, but eventually five made their way over. "Alright, Warden," the leader said. "Scouts generally travel in groups of six or seven, so I'm assigning each of you two Scouts, just to give you directions and to keep you connected with Kardol. Gaulm, Sigrun, you're with him in Group 46. Bardan, Rieuxfeld, you're with that one, 47." With that, he turned and began talking to another group.

"Hey there," the Scout named Sigrun said, taking of her helmet to reveal a surprisingly young face. "Nice to work with you. Cute dog, by the way."

Will couldn't help but smile: Thunder was almost as tall at the shoulder as the dwarf girl and his light brown fur was splotched with dirt and blood from the long trip, and yet she was calling him cute.

The other dwarf chuckled. "Forgive Sigrun, Warden," he said. "This one sometimes speaks before she thinks, but she's as good as they come in a fight." He bowed slightly. "An honor to fight by your side."

"Same to both of you," Will said as the leader of the Scouts stepped up.

"Alright, Advanced Parties," he called over the din. "We've got some Wardens with us, but that's no excuse to slack off. Standard rules apply: keep moving; check your corners, and _kill all the 'Spawn!_" Another cheer rose from the Scouts, and Will grinned as he heard some of his companions joining in. "Right, all, move out!" The dwarf stepped aside, allowing the Scouts to surge across the bridge, over the blackened scorch marks of Will's Inferno. A minute later, they all reached the other side of the impressive structure and began to split up into the multitude of caverns. Tense silence fell as the echoing sounds of preparations from the main force faded. There was no doubt that they were entering enemy territory.

Will's Warden Sense was straining to keep up with the number of Darkspawn he was sensing, though thankfully most of them were still quite far away. Focusing his attention inwards, Will picked up a group of what felt like Genlocks. "Advanced party, just a few meters ahead," he growled. Everyone nodded, and just as they were about to round the corner Will threw a fireball around it, right into the middle of the Darkspawn he sensed.

Most of the Genlocks: lightly armed and armored, were incinerated in seconds. A few survived, but before Will could attack Sigrun and Gaulm were there, their twin weapons flashing and killing the beasts.

"Nice job," Gaulm said. "They always do that: put a bunch of expendables out front that we have to kill to get through. Damn hive mind, now they all know we're coming."

Sigrun shrugged. "Well, they'll still have to organize, and by that time we'll be at their throats," she said, her grin almost audible behind her helmet. "Lets go shed some blood." Will nodded as he took the lead again, his senses still straining.

The small cavern he and the others were traveling through continued for some time. A few more groups of Genlocks tried to block them, as well as a force of Shrieks, but all were batted aside. A minute later, the group exited the cavern and entered a massive space, rivaled only by the enormous trench that the Archdemon had flown through. Unlike that, however, this place was well lit by controlled lava flows, and looked like it had been inhabited: the walls were covered in ramps and what looked like the doors to homes. Of course, the whole place looked like it had seen better days.

"This is Bownammar proper," Gaulm said, a note of bitterness in his voice. "It used to be a beauty to behold, now it's the sight of an endless battle between us and the 'Spawn." He pointed to the broken bridges. "It used to be that a dwarf could walk straight from one end of the city to the other just by crossing bridges, but now the only ones that are left are the ones too sturdy or essential for either us or the Darkspawn to destroy. That's why there are so many scouting parties; there are simply too many paths for one group to effectively scout it all out."

Sigrun, meanwhile, was peering up at the walls behind them. "Looks like we're the first to arrive, not even the signal tower's set up yet," she said.

Will, however, was watching the shadows deeper in the old city. He could see hundreds of shapes moving; the Darkspawn were massing for the attack. Across the nearest bridge, one group looked like it was about to try something. "Get ready, everyone," he said, spinning Spellweaver.

Just as he said that, a roar echoed from across the bridge, and three Armored Ogres charged shoulder to shoulder, followed by three of their unarmored brethren. Behind them, about twenty Darkspawn, lead by a pair of Alphas and an Emissary, loped after their makeshift battering rams.

"Jowan, get them to stop!" Will said. The blood mage nodded as he gritted his teeth; slitting open his palm and sending a wave of blood at the thundering ogres. The red-black liquid splashed over them, burrowing into their bodies and causing them to trip and stumble, skidding to a halt as they thrashed and bellowed in agony as their blood boiled. The Emissary raised its staff as if it were about to do something, but an arrow from Leliana took it in the heart and stumbled it so that a moment later another hit it in the head, killing it. Will, meanwhile, had thrown a fireball into the main group, blasting many of them off the bridge and setting the survivors aflame. One of the ogres stumbled to its feet and tried to charge again, only for another splash of Jowan's blood to cover it and cause its eyes to turn read as it stumbled to a halt before turning and shoving its companions off the bridge before jumping off itself.

The young blood mage was kneeling behind Will, his eyes glowing red. "I hate doing that…" he muttered, his voice tired and pained. "Why… why did I become this…"

"Jowan," Will said, crouching down in front of his friend and pressing his gauntlets to the sides of his head. "They're Darkspawn, they're just monsters. So long as you don't do that to people, everything will be alright." The mage looked up at Will before letting out a sigh.

"I guess," he said, allowing Will to help him to his feet. "It's just… reading about it in books and small experiments are so different from actually doing it… I worry about those that _enjoy_ it."

Will nodded. "So long as you keep worrying about that, you'll be fine," he said. "Now come on, the others seem to be arriving."

True to his word, the advanced parties of the Legion were beginning to pour out of the walls behind them, and the Darkspawn that had already gathered roared in challenge.

The Battle for Bownammar was about to begin in earnest.

* * *

><p>Kardol used his heavy shield to smash a taller Hurlock off its feet before slamming his boot down on its head, squashing it into a mass of blood and bone. He didn't bother to look around to see if his companions had finished their own battles: these were some of the strongest members of the Legion, the elite of the elite. They knew how to handle a weak scattering of Darkspawn grunts. "Get those signal lamps up here!" he called instead, making his way to the balcony of what had once been a Deshyer's mansion set into the cavern wall overlooking Bownammar. A moment later, a cluster of lightly armored dwarves; support crews rather than true warriors, hustled by and began setting up the large lamps.<p>

Most of Kardol's attention, however, was focused on what was happening below. More and more of the Legion were making their way into the city below him, and the Darkspawn already there were running around like frightened nugs, preparing themselves for the battle. 'They're really pulling out all the stops for this Blight,' he thought grimly, noting how few Darkspawn were around (relatively speaking; Kardol's rough estimates put the enemy numbers at a couple thousand, maybe more.) The Legion army he was commanding, meanwhile, had only about seven hundred and fifty men and women ready to fight. Still, unless he was much mistaken, the Darkspawn's own elite had mostly left the area along with their Archdemon, leaving only the dregs to hold Bownammar.

A flash of flames caught Kardol's eye, and as he looked he saw the Warden leader throwing another fireball into a cluster of Darkspawn that were trying to cross the bridge that the Wardens had reached. "Nice working with a mage again," he muttered. He'd long believed that the Darkspawn's greatest advantage; besides their uncountable numbers, was their widespread use of magic, something that the Legion could only match if friendly Surfacers came down, which was exceedingly rare.

"Signals ready!"

"Good," Kardol said, not bothering to look back since his eyes were still glued to his warriors fighting below. "Tell Scout Group 22 that it looks like a group of 'Spawn about to make an attack, then send Bronto 3 to assist." The dwarf quickly nodded and the signal lamps started flashing, directing the Legion warriors where they needed to be.

As his gaze swept over the battle, occasionally pausing long enough to shout orders, Kardol noted that the other Warden group, while not quite as talented as the one including their Commander, was making good progress up the other side of the Thaig… almost too much progress…

"Damn!" he hissed. "Tell 47 to pull back and get 12th Response moving towards them! They're gonna be cut off!"

* * *

><p>Alistair ducked behind his shield as a volley of arrows slammed into it, a few skimming off the shoulder guards of his borrowed Templar armor. A moment later, the crash of a massive rock almost drowned out the squeals of the Genlock archers it hit. "Thanks, Shale!" he called, peeking out to see if there were any more enemies.<p>

"It's welcome," the golem said, hefting another massive piece of debris and taking aim at a group of charging Hurlocks.

Suddenly, one of the scouts that had been assigned to their group cursed. "Everyone back!" he shouted. "Command just realized that we're about to be hit from behind! Back! Back!"

"What?" Alistair asked, turning to look at the bridge they had just crossed. "I don't see…"

Suddenly, the small group of Legionaries that had been arriving started to fall, and Alistair's chest clenched as he heard the triumphant cries of Shrieks. "Maker…" he whispered.

"Damn, we're cut off!" the other scout said, "What now?"

"We fight until someone comes," Zelda said. "Shale, you, Rieuxfeld and Morrigan hold that bridge, Senior Enchanter Wynne, Bardan and I've got this one. Alistair, tell us if any Shrieks are sneaking up and come help if one side looks like it needs help." No one argued as they all went to their positions.

"Shrieks are moving up!" Alistair called towards Zelda over the sound of a pair of ogres roaring before they charged towards Shale, only to stumble as Morrigan wove some entropic curses over them. The Templar used a Holy Smite; the sacred fires able to disrupt the Shrieks' stealth long enough for Wynne to strike them with several Stone Fists, either crushing their bodies or knocking them from the bridge. The only one that made it through was unable to overwhelm Zelda before she opened its weak armor with her shining blade. Meanwhile, Shale had crushed one of the ogre's skulls with a rock and Morrigan had killed the other with a massive blast of lightning that caused its eyes to explode from its head. Grimacing slightly, Alistair continued to watch as several more probing attacks came.

However, as he watched another trio of ogres, one armored, thwarted, his Warden Sense noticed something Tainted coming across Zelda's bridge… or rather, _below_ her bridge. "Spiders!" he called just as they crawled into sight, webs launching from their abdomens just as another ten Genlocks led by a single Alpha rushed across.

Before they could react, the webbing hit the three at the bridge. Wynne got the worst of it, her focus having been on creating a Glyph of Repulsion to hold the attacking Darkspawn back. Zelda was also wrapped pretty badly, the black silk seeming to be much stronger than the average bindings and causing her to topple over with a startled cry. Only the dwarf, who had probably faced this sort of thing before, was able to wriggle out quickly, but he wouldn't be able to hold off the oncoming beasts by himself.

Instinct took over, and Alistair dashed forward, his sword raised. The first spider tried to ensnare him as well, but he wove aside and kept coming, driving his sword between the monster's two largest eyes. Two other spiders tried to leap on him from different sides, their venomous fangs bared, but Alistair sensed it coming and stepped to one side before swinging his shield back, smashing it backwards and over the edge of the bridge while slashing the other's head off. The last spider charged right at him, allowing him take one step forward and drive his boot into its face, crushing it like the bug it was.

Meanwhile, the Genlocks had made it past Wynne's spell and were charging, their cries mingling with the Darkspawn keeping anyone from the other bridge from coming to help, but for once, Alistair wasn't afraid, this was what he had been prepared to do. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

An axe was thrown at him, but his shield was up in plenty of time to cause it to spin off into the darkness. A moment later, the Alpha was hit by a crossbow bolt from the scout, causing it to topple over and trip up one of its subordinates. However, the other nine were almost upon Alistair, their bloody and notched weapons raised.

His shield smashed the first aside as he rammed his sword into the second, twisting it before ripping it out and up to block a swing. He took one step back and leaned to the side as another Genlock took a swing at him, causing it to stumble as it passed and allowing him to take another step back and drive the base of his kite shield into the side of its unarmored head, crushing its skull and sending shards into the brain to kill it. Two more tried to attack, only to both be blocked by his sword, which he then used to shove them back into a third. Alistair's Warden Sense warned him that there was another Genlock behind him, and he twisted aside just as it tried to run him through, causing it to stumble enough for him to bring his sword into a reverse grip and ram it through. The first Genlock he had hit had clambered to its feet; black blood running from its broken nose and teeth, but it still roared as it charged, along with the two that hadn't attacked yet. Alistair blocked all their blows, two on his shield and one with his sword, before shoving back again, knocking the two on his shielded side away and leaving the other open to have its head removed.

"Stone…" he heard the dwarf mutter behind him, but he was too focused to listen, the three he'd sent sprawling before had gotten up along with the one that had tripped on the dead Alpha. Still, without their leader, they could do nothing but charge straight at him. Rather than meet them head-on, Alistair stepped diagonally to get them facing his shield, knocking the nearest into another. The other two reversed, but Alistair was already moving again, and two heavy slashes later he broke the haft of one's axe and sliced a chunk out of its face and simple cut the other's hand off before stepping past, reversing his grip, and stabbing down through the chest.

Two more were up, but even they seemed to have figured out that they couldn't win, as they started to stumble backwards. Alistair advanced, stabbing one of the Genlocks still on the ground before bringing his blade back to a proper grip and crushing the others skull with his boot. The remaining two seemed to get the hint and retreated back across the bridge.

"Thank you, Alistair," Wynne said as the scout finished cutting her loose.

"We're not out of this yet," the dwarf said. "A response team's on its way, but they got delayed back there." Looking, Alistair could see the cluster of dwarves and Darkspawn fighting each other several bridges away. He also saw another group of the beasts gathering on the other side of the bridge that he had just defended.

"Then we'll just have to keep going," Zelda said. "So long as no more spiders show up, everything…"

It was at this moment, of course, that six more spiders descended from the ceiling behind them on webs at the same moment the reinforced Darkspawn began to charge across the bridge. No one wasted any time in complaining; Alistair simply rushed back to deal with the spiders, leaving the others to fight off the attacking Darkspawn.

"How long until the others get here?!" he shouted as he killed the first spider before it could detach itself from its web while blocking a strike from another.

"Don't know!" the scout with Shale and Morrigan shouted back as he reloaded his crossbow. "Keep fighting! Not much else to do!"

'How helpful,' Alistair thought grimly as he withstood a charge from one spider before stabbing it as another was frozen solid by Morrigan. "Can you at least give an idea?" he asked.

"Just a minute!"

The remaining three spiders, meanwhile, were circling Alistair, making quick pokes to try and overwhelm him, but he was able to block most of their attacks and those that weren't couldn't pierce his armor. He killed another when it overextended, and then another a moment later. The final spider desperately made its way towards Morrigan, who was busy unleashing a wave of lightning and ice against the latest attacking force on her bridge as Shale tangled with an ogre, but Alistair was able to reach out and kill it before it could harm the witch.

Suddenly, the roar of a bronto echoed over the sound of the battle, and as Alistair looked up he saw a quartet of Legion cavalry stormed through the Darkspawn attacking the group's flank, soon followed by the infantry that had been fighting their way through the blocking Darkspawn. "Glad to see you're alright, Warden," the leader said as the remaining Darkspawn pulled back. "Most of the time, all we arrive to rescue are the corpses."

"Well, I guess it was time for a change of pace," Alistair said, trying to lighten the mood. He must have succeeded, as the Legionaries laughed.

However, before anything more could be said, Bardan glanced up at the signal tower and jerked before turning and shouting. "We're being reassigned! Something's gone wrong in the center, and both us and the other Warden group are being sent there to clean up. Come on, let's move!"

'No rest for heroes, huh?' Alistair thought as he followed the others across the bridge that their rescue had just arrived over and making their way into the heart of the city.

* * *

><p>Most of the battles Will had been a part of had been small affairs; involving only himself, his team, and whatever enemies they were fighting. There had been Ostagar, of course, but he hadn't been in the main battle; just the desperate charge up the Tower of Ishal. The only other major confrontation had been the one at Redcliffe, and that had only been slightly larger: with less than three dozen militiamen, a few knights, and some miscellaneous helpers behind a barrier against a couple hundred corpses.<p>

This battle, on the other hand, was huge, and since he hadn't been involved in the overall planning; he had no real idea what was going on. All he could do was listen to what the other scouts were telling him that Kardol wanted.

This meant that, as he led his fellows deeper into the city; all he knew was that something had gone wrong in the center of the battle and that he was to meet up with the others and do something about it.

As he and the others crossed another bridge, the sound of cries split the air, and Will turned in time to see a trio of dwarves running from a large cluster of Darkspawn. Before he could fully react, one of the dwarves was struck by a bolt of sickly light, and a moment later he exploded in a spray of blood, knocking both his companions sprawling. The lead Darkspawn, a Genlock Emissary, laughed as it aimed its staff again.

Before it could finish its grim work, however, Will threw a fireball which sent most of the beasts flying. The Emissary was able to raise a shield in time, but it was still staggered, leaving the way open for Leliana to shoot it between the eyes. "Are you alright?!" she called to the dwarves, who were clambering to their feet.

"Yeah," one of them said. "Damn Blighted spiders, they came out of nowhere! Keep your eyes up when you're fighting, Wardens."

Will nodded. "Come on, we're trying to secure the center," he said. "Any help would be useful."

The pair glanced at each other for a moment before nodding. "Sure thing, Warden. We owe it to the others. Lets go kick some 'Spawn ass." With that, they fell in behind the Warden group.

A moment later, Sigrun spoke up. "Another group got isolated, Boss," she said. "Take a left here; they've managed to get one little platform to themselves, but they can't hold out for long. We're the closest group to them." Will simply nodded, turning across the bridge that Sigrun had indicated, throwing an Arcane Bolt to kill the single Genlock Alpha that tried to stop them.

"There're a lot of Genlocks around," he said. "On the surface, it was normally a much more even ratio; now I'm guessing its ten to one at least."

"Well, this isn't exactly a crack force of Darkspawn," Sigrun said, using the sling she carried to peg a normal Genlock that was running across a parallel bridge; killing it. "They have more Genlocks than they know what to do with; what with the way they're made."

Will blinked; he didn't know how Darkspawn were born or created, and when he'd asked Alistair the former Templar hadn't known either. Over time, he'd simply stopped thinking about it until now. "How are they made?" he asked.

The two Legionaries glanced at him for a long moment before shaking their heads. "You don't want to know, Warden," Gaulm said, his voice grim. "You really, really don't want to know."

"Besides, we don't exactly have time for a lesson right now," Sigrun said. "We're almost where we need to be." Will nodded, blocking a rock thrown by an ogre just as Jowan used Blood Control on it, causing it to rampage through the other Darkspawn around it. A moment later, it was brought down by a Shriek leaping up onto its back and slitting its throat, but almost as soon as the assassin's feet had hit the floor Will's first fireball slammed into the survivors, sending them flying and allowing the party to reach the main Darkspawn attackers.

There were dozens of them; trying to claw their way across a thin bridge guarded by about twenty Legionaries. Six of them had shields and single-handed weapons, and they were in front of the others, deflecting any attacks that made it past the rest; who were more lightly-armored slingers.

They wouldn't last much longer, however, as Will saw a pair of Emissaries leading another dozen Hurlocks, many of them heavily-armored Alphas, across another bridge. That force would be able to easily smash through the Legionaries' defenses if nothing was done. "Kill the Emissaries," he called, Spellweaver carving a path through the group of Genlocks that had turned to try and hold the party off.

Leliana and Jowan nodded, and a moment later a Blood Wound was on its way; causing the majority of the arriving Hurlocks to topple over, shrieking in unholy agony. Both Emissaries were still standing, and one waved its own staff and threw a Walking Bomb spell at the blood mage. He was able to get a shield up in time, and a moment later the offending Emissary fell, clutching at the arrow that was sticking through its throat. The other also had a shield up, forced to defend itself from the deadly accurate volley of rocks that Sigrun was throwing at it.

Meanwhile, Will, Sten, and Oghren were carving their way through the other, weaker Darkspawn. Most were ordinary Genlocks, with only a smattering of Alphas and Hurlocks to keep them going. This meant that the long reach of the two warriors, along with Will's deadly speed, were more than enough to scatter the beasts.

"Legionaries, reinforcements!" the Arcane Warrior heard someone among the trapped dwarves cry. "Let's go!" A roar of approval shook the air as the whole group surged across the bridge; armored warriors first, followed by the slingers. One last volley tore into the final Emissary before the dwarves drew a series of lighter weapons to join their fellow Legionaries in the bloody melee. A minute later, the surviving Darkspawn were clawing desperately to get back across the bridge, only to be cut down by another volley of magic and slinger bullets.

"You've got the timing of a Paragon, you know that?" the leader of the Legionaries said. "Come on, the whole center's on the verge of collapsing; we need to get going." Will nodded, and a moment later the newly enlarged group was making their way onwards.

From what Will could tell, the Darkspawn had somehow managed to break through a portion of the Legion's center, both the leading Scout group and the response force. From there, they'd been able to cut off entire teams of Legionaries and pick them off in detail, driving the entire line back. However, the flanks still seemed to be holding, creating a perfect opportunity for an encirclement of their own. According to Kardol's signals, this area seemed to have the majority of the Darkspawn's elite, which meant that if they could wipe this offensive out, they'd be able to drive through the rest of the horde without issue.

After several minutes of hard fighting against a large number of Alphas and Emissaries, Will caught sight of a swirling storm of ice and lighting several bridges over. "There're the others!" he called. "We must be near the center."

"Actually, we're already there, the others are running behind," Sigrun said. "You're just to fast, Kardol's ordering us to hold this spot for a minute or two. That'll give the rest of the encircling force time to crush the Darkspawn offensive and prepare for our own."

"Alright," Will said, looking back over the bridge deeper into Darkspawn territory in time to see another force of fodder, supported by a group of armored ogres, getting ready to charge. Meanwhile, behind him in the trapped enemies, a group of six Shrieks looked like they were about to make a breakout. "All of you, handle that side," he said, pointing towards the main enemy force. "Thunder, you and I've got this bridge."

"Be careful, Will," Leliana said. The elf nodded before taking a moment to center himself and take a drink of lyrium before meeting the oncoming Shrieks.

The first, not even bothering to stealth itself, let out an ear-piercing cry as it lunge, attempting to stun him. The Arcane Warrior's helmet's defenses, however, was more than enough to block out the offending noise, and he stepped easily to one side and cut it in half. The others vanished from sight, but a wave of fire killed one and caused the others to start smoking; revealing their position. One was able to dash past as Will was killing one of its fellows, but Thunder was there to meet it, dodging a slash from the claw-like blade and grabbing its leg, tripping it before leaping onto its back and wrapping his teeth around its neck. The remaining two both tried to overwhelm Will, but he took two steps back, each one followed by a slash that killed one of the enemies.

"Nice work, Will!" Smiling, Will glance over his shoulder to see Alistair and the others arriving, along with several more Legionaries that they must have saved. He quickly directed them to help the group holding back the large Darkspawn assault before turning his attention back to maintaining the trap, watching a cluster of ogres, two Emissaries, and several other Darkspawn thundering towards him.

A moment later, he noticed Morrigan standing next to him. "I can't stand to fight alongside those fools anymore, Warden" she said. "I'll stand with you."

"You sure you're not just worried about me?" Will shot back, and was rewarded with the slightest flush on the witch's cheeks to mark a scored hit. "You know, it's not a weakness to be worried about your friends," he said as he threw a fireball, knocking most of the Darkspawn reeling.

"Why do you call me that?" she asked, weaving a disorienting curse on the center ogre, causing it to veer to one side and knock its fellow off the bridge. "I have done little to make myself pleasant for you."

"Well, growing up with someone who was planning to kill you and take your body can't have been good for the development of someone who likes being around others," Will said as he directed a concentrated lance of fire at the final ogre, burning a gaping hold in its skull, before ducking behind a shield as one of the surviving Emissaries launched a sickly Arcane Bolt at him. "But you've stuck around. Even though you don't like any of us, you've stayed to help, even after Flemath betrayed you. You could have left."

As the last Darkspawn before them fell, Morrigan glanced at him for a long moment before speaking. "You… are not like the others. You… have tried to understand me, where the others have not. Even though I no longer stay on my mother's orders, I stay because you… you are my friend."

Using an Arcane Bolt to kill a spider that was crawling across the side of a different bridge, Will nodded. "Thank you." After a moment, he smiled slightly. "Since we're friends, you can just call me Will, if you want." The witch didn't say anything, but as Will glanced at her he saw a strange stream or emotions passing over her face. Before he could say anything more, another group of Darkspawn arrived to try and escape, forcing them back into the battle.

Several minutes later, Sigrun darted over. "The majority of the 'Spawn in the encirclement have been killed, we're to push on!" she called.

"Right, let's go!" Will said, turning and leading the way across the bridge deeper into Darkspawn territory.

It seemed that Kardol was right that the majority of the Darkspawn's best troops had been destroyed, as it seemed all that was left was groups of Genlocks, occasionally supported by better troops. The large, armored fist of the Legion drilled through this scattered resistance, and as Will looked around he could see other groups doing the same across the ruined Thaig. Before long, they had reached the point where the Legion had been before the Darkspawn counter-offensive, and less than half an hour later by Will's reckoning they had finally reached the other side of the Thaig, and he was standing in front of a massive door.

"What's this?" he asked Sigrun, who was standing next to him.

"That's the Citadel," she said. "It used to be the permanent Legion headquarters, but of course nowadays we don't have that. A lot of old tombs are in there, but since we only had access to it for a few months after the Paragon's house helped us break through, we couldn't get much. It'll a pain to take, though."

At that moment, the sound of a bronto's heavy feet was heard coming up behind the pair, and Will turned to see Kardol jumping off and making his way over.

"You've done brilliantly, Warden," he said. "This would have been a nightmare without your help."

"I don't even want to think about us having to fight through this without the Legion's help," Will said. "You helped us a lot more than we helped you."

Kardol snorted as he held out a map. "Well, then you won't be against helping out some more, will you, 'cause I'm about to ask you to spearhead the attack on the Citadel. You and your Wardens fought better than a squad of Legionaries three times your size; and you've got magic to protect you from what's waiting in there."

Will nodded as he studied the image. "Is there anything we should be expecting?" he asked, nodding for the others to gather around.

"Probably the last of their Emissaries and Alphas," Kardol said. "And from the numbers of Genlocks, I'm guessing a Broodmother, maybe two."

Will's shoulders tensed at the strange word. "What's a Broodmother?" he asked warily.

The dwarf stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. "Something you have to kill, for all our sakes," he said. "More than that… pray you never find out. I won't force that on you."

Will considered pushing for more information, but after a moment he decided that if Kardol didn't think it was important enough to share he wouldn't push him. "Alright, we'll break through their defenses," he said before looking around. "Everyone ready?" The others all gave their affirmative, and Will nodded to Shale. "You and I are going first, we've got the best defenses. Kardol mentioned Emissaries, so Zelda goes next, ready to Holy Smite any she sees, and Alistair's right behind her to help dispel anything they throw. Leliana, you and the other mages come in next and start taking out anything you see. Everyone else comes in after that, and we'll smash our way to this Broodmother."

"Sounds like a good plan," Kardol said. "You just drive for the central chamber, we'll be right behind you, dealing with any stragglers. Stone be with you, Warden." Will simply nodded, stepping up to the door to the Citadel alongside Shale.

"Alright, everyone," he said. "On three. One. Two… Three!" With that, he used his magic to shove one door open as Shale punched the other hard enough to dent it, and the pair stormed in.

Immediately, dozens of arrows rained down from the Darkspawn archers, as well as several spells. However, Will's shield was up in plenty of time, and they held. A moment later, Zelda let out a sharp cry, and anti-magic fire burned across the Emissaries' position, causing them to shriek and tumble from their perches. The archers, meanwhile, were being hammered by Leliana and the other three mages; and without any real defenses they were either slaughtered or driven away, especially when the attacks slacked enough for Will to bring his flames to bear. A minute after they entered the first killing hall, it was clear. "Let's move on," Will said, leading the way to the next door along with Shale and forcing it open as well.

However, this door did not lead to a trap, or at least not a very effective one. A dozen or so Genlocks, poorly armed and armored even by Darkspawn standards, tried to rush them, but Will set the corridor aflame before they could get close, and the one survivor that stumbled out was punted down the hall by Shale. "It looks like we've scattered the worse of them, but stay alert. Shale, move to the back with Alistair, and everyone be ready." They met several more groups, and from the sounds of battle behind them the Legionaries were also fighting, but there seemed to be little in the way of true resistance. "Where are they all?" Will thought grimly.

As they continued on, however, a pressure began building in the back of Will's mind. It was similar to what he'd felt when approaching the Archdemon, but somehow both worse and better. On the one hand, it was a more manageable pressure, and had only a fraction of the raw power behind it, but it was also somehow… unsettling on a primal level that he couldn't completely understand.

As the party stepped out of a staircase onto the bottom floor of the Citadel, a voice suddenly echoed through the halls.

_ "First day, they come, and catch everyone."_

"Maker's Breath, what was that?" Zelda, who was right behind Will, hissed as she spun. The elf couldn't help but agree with her; there was something… _wrong…_ with that voice. Still, all he could do was gesture for everyone to keep going towards the central chamber.

"_Second day, they beat us and eat some for meat._"

Someone whimpered behind Will, and he couldn't tell who it was over the feeling of bile rising in his throat. "Is there… someone alive down here?" he whispered in stunned horror. Another trio of Genlocks, including one carrying a massive hammer, charged him as the group passed through some sort of forge, giving him about half a minute of glorious distraction as he butchered them. The hammer-wielding one had been strong, but its choice of weapons worked poorly against a mage based on speed and redirecting blows rather than blocking them. With that done, all he could do was continue on.

"_Third day, the men are all gnawed on again._"

Will could sense… something, but it wasn't clear. There was Taint in this place, but it was different than anything he had ever sensed before. "How much farther," Alistair asked from the back, but no one had an answer for him, and so they continued on.

"_Fourth day, we wait and fear for our fate._"

"It came from over there!" Leliana called, pointing down a corridor covered with… _pulsating_ growths of flesh. Will took a deep breath before continuing.

_"Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn._"

Peering into the open door at the end of the hall, Will looked at the source of the strange sensation.

It looked like a dwarven woman, her cloths ragged and so dirty that he couldn't' tell what color they might have started as. She was crouching next to a disgusting pile of rotting flesh, picking at it with one hand in a way that made Will question if she even knew she was doing it. Her hair was also covered in muck and blood, but Will thought that it might have been brown at one point. As he slowly stepped into the room, she slowly pushed herself to her feet and turned, causing Will to recoil as he saw the dark, sickly marks around her eyes, offsetting the paleness of the rest of her flesh. The worst part was the eyes themselves were… there was just something… _wrong_… with them, just like her voice.

"Shit… Hespith?" Oghren whispered, taking a step forward.

The woman's eyes slowly shifted to him, and she opened her mouth and started to speak; her voice slightly more clear than it had been echoing throughout the underground corridors. "Oghren? No, you cannot be here," she said. "Not with others. Feeding only brings kin and clan. I am cruel to myself."

"What did they do to you?" Will whispered, moving closer to try and get a better look at Hespith. He'd never seen the Darkspawn Taint's effect on a normal person… but somehow he thought that this was what he would find. Or at least he hoped not, because if that was the case…

Alistair spoke up behind him. "I heard Duncan talking about ghouls, but… it wasn't like this…"

"Ghouls?" Hespith said, a tiny note of anger in her otherwise monotonous voice. "The men, they are as dogs, marched ahead to die and be fed on. But not us. We are not fed upon, we are _fed_." She started mumbling her little chant again. "_Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams…_"

"Focus," Will said, trying to get her attention back. "What's going on? Where's Branka?"

Her eyes snapped to him, and he _felt_ her rage… whatever the differences, she was still Tainted. "I will not speak of Branka!" she said. "How does she endure that? How… is she to be forgiven? No, she cannot be forgiven, not for what she has done, for what she had become."

"Hespith! Speak sense!" Oghren shouted, stepping forward and trying to grab the woman's shoulders. She was too fast, however, and slipped out of his reach and ran; faster than it seemed possible for someone with her level of atrophy.

"Wait!" Will cried, reaching out with his telekinesis, but Hespith's magic resistance chose that moment to show itself, and the ghostly bands shattered at her touch. Before Will could pursue, she turned a corner and was gone. "Damn…"

"Leave her," Sten said. "That is not our mission."

Will was about to say something before he paused and took a deep breath; centering himself. Finally, once he was calm again, he responded. "You're right, Sten," he said. "The Legion can take care of her once this is all over. Let's go find this Broodmother."

However, as the group left the room and continued on towards their destination, Hespith's voice echoed down the hall again.

"_Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they spew._"

Suddenly, Will had a horrible idea of what was to come.

"_Eight day, we hated as she is violated._"

"This can't be…" he whispered as he arrived outside the door that led to the final corridor before the central room. It was covered in flesh.

"_Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin._"

Will looked back. From the look on everyone's faces, they had figured out what was going on as well, but they were steeling themselves. Will nodded and forced the door open, revealing the corridor beyond, and a roar was heard from within. The pressure in Will's head peeked, but he forced himself to walk forward.

"_Now she does feast…"_

Will had seen many horrible things in his life, many in the last few months. He'd watched his aunt murdered. He'd watched the woman who was his sister in all but blood gasp her last breaths out before his eyes. He had seen demons of every variety, werewolves, monsters of the Deep Roads. He had seen the cruelty of men, the evil of those who saw those beneath them as less than nothing. He had seen things that scarred his mind to this day.

But as he walked down the final corridor and looked through the final door, he was faced with something so hideous that he knew it would be burned into his brain for the rest of his life.

_ "…as she's become the beast._"

The Broodmother was massive, far larger than the dwarf woman she… _it_… had once been. Its body was thick; covered in fleshy fat that jiggled rolled as it twisted, creating a disconcerting effect that made Will want to vomit. It had no visible legs, and its arms were far too small for the rest of its body. There was no hair upon its head, and as it bared its teeth Will saw that they were sharp and bloodstained. Around the creature's base was a half-dozen large, thick tentacles, with both suckers and spikes coming out of them to grip whatever they were able to wrap around. There were also many more smaller tentacles.

Will heard the sound of armor squelching against flesh as Alistair stumbled and leaned against the wall, cursing as he stared at the beast with wide eyes, and Will guessed than no one else was doing much better. "Come on," he said after a moment. "Let's put this poor thing out of its misery. Shale, Sten, we'll focus on the Broodmother itself, the rest of you hold back and make sure no other Darkspawn attack us." With that, he moved forward, flames wreathing Spellweaver.

Almost as soon as he stepped on the fleshy carpet, the Broodmother let out another roar and slammed four of its large tentacles into the ground, burrowing them. As Will watched, more and more flesh was ejected from the Broodmother until the tentacle burst out of the ground near him and tried to wrap itself around him. "Watch out, everyone!" he called as he rolled to one side, just under the sweeping tentacle.

Sten, meanwhile, had dodged the tentacle that tried to attack him and raised Asala to strike the Broodmother itself. He was forced back, however, by the remaining tentacles, though he did get a blow in that caused the Broodmother to shriek in pain. Shale, meanwhile, had started ripping chunks of the wall out and throwing them at it, causing it to cry out in pain. However, the massive amount of fat seemed to be working to protect it, as there was no other reaction.

A moment later, however, a wave of fire from Spellweaver washed over it, causing it to cry out again, but it seemed that the former dwarf's resistance to magic had only been enhanced by its transformation. "We need to hit the head!" Will called, darting around to avoid the still-attacking tentacles. "We'll never kill it otherwise."

"How does it suggest we get there?" Shale asked grumpily as he beat off one of the tentacles that had wrapped itself around his arm. After a moment of straining, he was able to rip the tentacle off, only for it to instantly begin to regrow.

Another fireball burned across the distance, only to explode against one of the tentacles as the Broodmother covered its fate. "We need to distract it," Will said, glancing quickly over his shoulder to see how the others were doing. There were plenty of Darkspawn attacking them, but by the looks of it they were holding their own, so he, Sten and Shale had time to focus on the Broodmother.

"It has the most brilliant suggestions," Shale said, still struggling against the tentacles that were surrounding him. "Once again, however, I ask _how it suggests we do that_."

"I'm working on it, I'm working on it," Will muttered, trying to get past the tentacles that were blocking him. However, like the ones Shale was damaging, any time he sliced them off, the regenerated with frightening speed. All Darkspawn healed quickly, something Will was normally grateful for since that healing also applied to him. However, right now he wished that the recovery wasn't quite as fast, because every hit they were landing against the Broodmother was being shrugged off.

They needed to kill it fast, but the way it wove its tentacles, none of them were getting close, and its magical resistance was preventing his flames from doing the damage it needed to. He needed an edge…

As he back flipped over a low swing while cutting the high swing out of the air, he finally had an idea. "Leliana! Shoot it's eyes out!"

The former bard, bless her, reacted instantly. She vanished into stealth, and a moment later she reappeared at the very edge of the Broodmother's range, kneeling and peering down the shaft of an arrow. Will immediately shifted to the side, launching one last blast of flames to keep the beast's attention. The Broodmother took the bait, and another tentacle burst out of the ground next to him.

Leliana released the arrow, and it flashed through the warding tentacles and struck the Broodmother in her right eye. Less than a second later, the redhead had drawn another arrow and was sighting it as well as the Broodmother began to thrash and shriek, and a moment later Leliana shot the other eye out.

Will took off running, dodging the tentacle as it slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it even as it sprayed blood from the fleshy mat. The blinded Broodmother didn't see him coming, allowing him to take a flying leap, using one of the tentacles to get a boost before grabbing the creature's arm, which allowed him to pull himself up behind its head. It tried to throw him off, but he was able to dig Spellweaver in before he fell. With his other hand, he grabbed the Rod of Fire he still carried and leaned around before slamming the sharpened end up into the Broodmother's almost non-existent chin before triggering it, filling its skull with flames.

As the beast thrashed, Will heard a sharp _crack_ as the Rod of Fire was wrenched to the side, and a moment later he was left holding only the handle. However, the damage was already done, and after a minute of holding on to Spellweaver the Broodmother finally stopped moving, allowing Will to pull the blade out and leap off.

"Warden, I can't tell if you're brilliant or crazy." Kardol said; having arrived sometime during Will's final attack on the Broodmother. "But whatever you are, I wish there were more like you. Normally we lose people when fighting Broodmothers."

"Any other problems?" Will asked.

The dwarf shook his head. "No," he said. "The rest of the Citadel's cleared out with only three more dead." He smiled grimly. "In total, only sixty-three Legionaries died in the battle; usually we lose more than a hundred. This was a good fight."

"What about Hespith?" Leliana asked. "Did you see…"

"That's where they come from." Will's eyes jerked to a balcony overlooking the room and saw Hespith standing there, her eyes fixed on the corpse of the Broodmother below her. "That's why they hate us. That's why they need us. That's why they take us. That's why they feed us."

"Damn," Kardol muttered.

"IS there anything you can do for her?" Leliana asked, even though it was clear she knew the answer.

"Nothing save give her the peace of the Stone," the Legion commander said.

The woman had continued speaking. "But the true abomination is not that it occurred, but that it was allowed. Branka… I am dying of something worse than death. Betrayal."

After a long moment, Kardol shook his head. "Warden, your work is done. There's a path out of the Citadel and onto the Deep Roads. If the Paragon's still alive, then she'll be there. We'll clean up here."

Will nodded. "Thank you for all your help."

The dwarf stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Take the Scouts that were with you along. I don't know what's going on beyond Bownammar… but what that poor sod said has me worried. All the help you can get will come in handy. Just be sure to bring them back in one piece; there aren't so many Legionaries that I can throw them away for nothing."

"Don't worry, they'll be fine with us," Will said.

"Then many the Ancestors watch over you."


	26. Between Hammer and Anvil

Reviewer Response:

V-rcingetorix: Thank you for your support, and sorry for making you wait again. As I think I said before, I don't hate Dragon Age 2, and in fact I think it did a fair few things right. I remember when I first watched my brother play the Deep Roads in 2, the part where you first see the massive spider. I knew it was coming. He didn't : ). It was highly amusing.

Guest: I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: Neither Dragon Age Origins, nor the characters therein, belong to me. I am in no way profiting from this story.

Chapter 25: Between Hammer and Anvil

As the party, along with Sigrun, Gaulm, Bardan, and Rieuxfeld, made their way down the ruined Deep Road, they continued to meet Darkspawn. Like the majority of those that had been at Bownammar, these were poorly armed and armored Genlocks, likely just born recently to be used as blade fodder.

Even several hours after the fact, Will couldn't get the sight of the Broodmother out of his mind. He had always known that the Darkspawn were vile, a threat to everything good in the world, but having that knowledge shoved in his face so… in such a hideous fashion, he couldn't help but feel chills pass through him. What was worse was what that woman, Hespith, had said. She had indicated that her capture had been no accident, that Branka had betrayed her somehow… but surely no one was so evil as to knowingly allow a fellow to be taken by the Darkspawn like that… knowing what happened to them afterwards… He shuddered; there had been women at Ostagar, soldiers, Chantry sisters. Had any of them suffered the same fate because of Loghain's betrayal? Were Hurlocks being born below the Wilds even now, just waiting for the Archdemon to arrive?

Even through his armor, he felt Leliana gently put a hand on his arm. The others were clearly as disturbed by all this as he was, but they all understood the same thing that kept them going: they had to get to Branka, find out just what was going on.

The only figure that seemed to be different was Shale. The stone man was usually more vocal; complaining about flesh creatures and birds under his breath, but now he was silent save the rumble of his footsteps. Glancing over his shoulder, Will saw him tracing a massive hand along the wall, his normally expressionless face almost seeming thoughtful. Gently stepping away from Leliana, Will made his way over to the golem. "Do you remember something?"

"Hmm? Yes, I suppose I remember… something," Shale said. "There was… a battle here, long ago. I was fighting here, right here. But what was I fighting, and why? I do not remember these things."

Will nodded. "Maybe once we find this Anvil, you'll remember more," he said. Shale simply nodded, pausing for a brief moment at what looked like an old collapsed passage before shaking his head and pushing on.

"I've never seen a golem before," Sigrun said, making her way over quietly despite how her armor should have clanked. "I heard they were a lot less animated."

"Oh, I suppose the small one believes everything it hears," Shale said, his head turning to gaze down at the Legionnaire, who simply smiled.

"Not everything, but you gotta believe some things, right? None of us are ever going to live long enough to see the whole world ourselves, so we have to trust what other people tell us, at least a bit. I mean, if we spent our entire life second-guessing every little thing everyone told us, we'd never get anywhere." Will paused, perhaps there was some wisdom in that. He'd consider it when he had the time. Right now, though, he needed to focus.

It was only after several more groups of Darkspawn and a cluster of Blighted spiders that they found something different. "Looks like an old camp, one of Branka's," Oghren said, running a hand along some carvings in the wall. "But it's strange… I don't see any markings pointing onwards; telling any stragglers where to go. That must mean this was their final camp, but…"

Will nodded slowly. "Alright, everyone search the camp. Groups of three, we don't want any surprises." Everyone nodded and spread out, being sure to keep with their own group. Will, Leliana and Thunder were one of those groups, but no matter how hard they searched they couldn't find anything except remains.

"There was a fight here," Oghren said an hour later, his eyes tense. "Lots of dead, though most were dragged away. I did find Branka's tent, and nothing was wrong there, so she might have gotten away."

Will, meanwhile, was redrawing the tracking circle he had used before. Having drawn it several times over the course of the journey, he had cut the time down to half an hour, but it felt much longer. He knew Branka had been alive the last time he'd made it, but that had been before Bownammar, and by the looks of things she was not in a particularly safe position right now. All he could do was pray that this nightmare hadn't been for nothing.

Finally, he activated the circle and waited as the needle spun on the end of his finger before finally settling into position… pointing up at an angle. "What the?" he muttered, staring at it before turning and raising it so that he could peer along its length. From the vibrations, Branka, who was still alive, should be quite close…

"You magnificent girl," Oghren muttered as he pointed to a carved out portion of the wall. "Of course it wouldn't be safe enough on the ground, so you go up where the Darkspawn can't get to you." He stepped forward and raised his voice. "Branka! Branka, you hear me?! It's Oghren, I've come to get you!"

For a long minute, nothing seemed to happen, before finally a figure stepped out of the artificial cave and stared down at them. She was wearing heavy armor like most dwarves did, armor that showed signs of both noble and practical design philosophy. It's dim, muted colors were clear even thought it was lovingly maintained, but there were plenty of purely decorative shapes that decorated it while not hindering its usefulness in the slightest.

"Oghren?" Branka called, though her voice somehow seemed quiet despite the volume. "I should have known you'd make it here eventually."

"Stone, girl, it's been too long," the berserker cried, opening his arms as if he could embrace her despite the distance. "Come on down here, it's safe enough, and bring everyone else."

Branka was silent for a long minute before shaking her head. "Who are those others with you?" she asked. "They're not dwarves… Wardens?"

"That's right!" Oghren called. "But enough of that, come on down to your dear hubby! Everyone was telling me you were dead, but I knew better! You're too smart for that!"

The Paragon snorted. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" she said. "But no matter, there are things that must be done, and since you're here you've probably killed my other subjects…"

Finally, Will had to speak. "Paragon, what happened here?" he gestured around. "Hespith said you betrayed her…"

That got an immediate response. "Betrayed? No, it was I who was betrayed! They swore to follow me, no matter what, but the moment I needed them most, with the Anvil almost within my grasp, they turned their backs on me! They tried to leave, even my Hespith! I could not allow it; I had sacrificed too much for the Anvil to let them ruin everything! They would help me break Caridin's defenses… one way or another."

Oghren's face fell. "Branka… what are you saying?" he called. "You…"

"The Darkspawn are a menace, a disease, but they have their uses," Branka continued, starting to pace as she spoke, almost to herself even though she was still loud enough to be heard. "The thing is, their natural violence leads them to be the ultimate trap breakers: they don't care if a thousand are skewered on spikes or crushed by golems or anything; they just keep going. True, the going would be slower than if I had _loyal_ helpers, but I could make it work. I'd had this observation post dug out almost as soon as we reached this camp, it was easy to move enough food for several months up here and pull up the rope, after drugging their drinks so that the beasts would be able to take enough alive to make a Broodmother…"

"You can't… you didn't!" Oghren cried. "Your own House, Branka! _YOUR OWN HOUSE! _Are you saying you gave them to the Darkspawn?!"

"I did!" Branka snapped. "The Anvil is more important than any House, than a dozen Houses!" She gestured widely. "Look around, Oghren?! This used to be the heart of an empire greater than any the world has ever known! Oh, the Tevinters and the Elves like to brag, but in truth it was we Dwarves that ruled the world! Now?! Now it is nothing but crumbling ruins infested by beasts! Don't you see? The Anvil is the answer, it will let us reclaim our glory!"

Will's fists clenched in fury. "There is no glory in offering your own people, dwarves who _trusted_ you, to the Darkspawn!" he shouted back. "People have died because of the beasts you created!"

"And if the Anvil is reclaimed, it will all be worth it," Branka snapped. "I thought Wardens knew this, knew that sometimes unpleasant things had to be done for the greater good! Isn't that part of your creed, sacrifice?"

The amulet around Will's neck almost seemed to burn with indignation. "Your people did not choose to be sacrificed," he said. "You murdered them!"

"Bah!" Branka cried, throwing up her hands. "I weary of your prattle. You came here for a reason, yes? Oghren doesn't have anything you want, so it can't just be for him. No, it's because I'm a Paragon… let me guess, there's a Blight going on, and the Assembly isn't cooperating, and you want me to overrule them."

Will's blood chilled. "How…"

Even though she couldn't have heard him, she answered all the same as she started pacing again. "It's obvious. No one else believed in the Anvil, no one but me, so you can't be here for it. As I said before, Oghren's not important enough for you to waste your time, so it can't be him." The berserker stumbled back at the way his wife callously dismissed him, but did not speak. "All that leaves is the Assembly, and the only reason you'd go to them is if there's a Blight. Besides, the Darkspawn have been leaving; it's slowed down progress." She came to a halt and stared at him. "I'll make you a deal, Warden. Help me get the Anvil, break through the last of Caridin's traps, and I'll tell the Assembly anything you want me to. That is my first and only offer."

Everyone stared at Will as he mulled over his options. It was true that he needed a Paragon's word to get the Assembly to honor Orzammar's bargain, but the thought of knowingly helping a madwoman who had allowed her own people to be taken left a bad taste in his mouth. "What do you all think?"

"I… this feels wrong," Shale said. "Something in me is telling me… but I can't remember." The golem threw up its hands. "It can do what it wants."

"I say we do as the dwarf tells us," Sten said. "That is why we are here, is it not?" Morrigan nodded, but Will could tell that she didn't like being ordered around, and that quite possibly even she found Branka's act vile.

"I guess," Alistair said, glancing around and receiving nods from Zelda, Jowan and Wynne. "I mean, we don't have many other options, but still… how could she? How could she?"

Thunder rubbed his head against Will's hand with a small whine. "We'll follow you, Will, whatever you decide," Leliana said. The Legionnaires glanced at each other, but none of them said a word even when prompted.

Everyone turned to Oghren, but he was still staring up at Branka. "Oghren?" Will asked, but was still ignored. Finally, he sighed. "We'll do it, Branka," he called back.

"Good, it is good to know that you're still reasonable," she said. "Just past the camp is the first of Caridin's traps. I'm not sure how far the Darkspawn managed to break through, but they should have destroyed the worst of it. Now go, and don't come back until you've gotten the Anvil!" With that, she turned and stormed back into her lair.

A long silence later, Will turned and nodded. "Let's go," he said quietly, forcing the disgust out of his voice as he did. No one else spoke, and soon they had made their way through the ruined camp and to a cave marked by a shattered frame. "What do those markings say?" Will asked as he pointed to a series of runes carved above the door.

"It says, 'Turn back,'" Shale said. "'You will find not what you seek here.'" His glowing eyes remained on the carvings. "I… believe I was here, when that was written… but why?" No one had an answer for that, and after another pause they made their way over a pile of darkspawn corpses into the corridor.

More dead Darkspawn were strewn around the corridor, along with the occasional remains of a golem. "Wow," Sigrun muttered. "There are more destroyed golems in this hall than in all of Orzammar. Aren't there only, what six left?"

"Five," Gaulm said quietly. "One was destroyed five years ago, on the bridge leading to the gates of Orzammar. That's the only place they're deployed anymore."

Before anything more could be said, the group reached the end of the hall and found another door with the shattered bodies of three golems around it, including one that seemed to be made of steel rather than stone, surrounded by a dead ogre, several dozen Hurlocks, and a staggering number of Genlocks. Beyond was a room that was almost completely ruined and filled with the scent of death.

"Be careful not to breathe too much," Wynne cautioned. "That smell, it is a poison, a powerful airborne toxin. I'll be able to counteract the worst of its effects, but don't get too much in your system." Everyone nodded and took a deep breath of clean air before dashing through the room and out the open door on the other end. After a minute, everyone came to a halt and took a careful breath. When it was clear that they were past the danger, Wynne ran a careful healing spell over everyone before they continued on, past even more dead golems and Darkspawn.

"Caridin really didn't want anyone getting to this Anvil," Alistair said, trying to lighten the mood despite the grimness of the situation. There were a few weak chuckles, but no one's heart was in it.

After several more destroyed trap rooms filled with dead Darkspawn, _hundreds_ of them, Will came to a halt as the next door came into sight: it was still closed and flanked by a pair of active golems.

"Halt," the deep, rumbling voice said. "You are not welcome in this place, flesh ones. You are not Darkspawn, so you will be allowed to leave if you desire, but you shall not pass."

Will glanced back. "Shale?" he whispered.

The stone man was standing absolutely still, his eyes fixed on the two golems. "I… know this…" he whispered, finally stepping forward. "You…"

"Shayle of House Cadesh?" one of the golems said, taking a step forward. "It was thought you were lost. Why do you bring flesh ones here?"

"I… remember you, but I do not," Shale said. "Your voice… I know it… why…"

The golem that had stepped forward nodded. "You are welcome here, Caridin will be overjoyed that you have survived. We lost so many, first to the mad one, and then to the Darkspawn, that every one of our brothers and sisters is more precious than ever." Its glowing eyes turned to Will. "Surrender the control rod, flesh one, and leave this place with your life. We will never let you claim the Anvil."

Will, however, was still working his way through what he had said to Shale. "Caridin? As in the Paragon Caridin? But he's dead."

"I have nothing more to say to you, flesh one," the golem said, taking another step forward and lowering itself into a fighting position. "Surrender the control rod and leave this place with your life. This is your final warning."

Will tensed, only to blink in shock as Shale stepped between him and the golem. "This flesh creature is not like the others," he said, a note of reproach in his voice as he glared at the larger golem. "It… has shown itself to be better than the rest of the rabble. I would not have you break it." Will couldn't help but smile; underneath all the bitterness and snark, it seemed that Shale did have a heart.

The other golem was staring at Shale before shaking its head. "It seems isolation has driven you mad, Shayle," he said. "I cannot allow the flesh one to pass, and if you would protect it, I shall have to remove you. Fear not, I will not destroy you, you are one of us, and as soon as you are free, you will understand." The other golem had joined the first, its glowing eyes fixed on Will.

"I will not let you touch them," Shale said, crouching himself as Will heard blades leaving their sheaths behind him. He didn't bother drawing Spellweaver; it was a wonderful blade, but it would do little against a golem's hide. Instead, he focused his full attention on his telekinesis, ready to hold one of the golems still for the others to destroy.

The first golem raised one stone arm to smack Shale aside, only for the crash of stone on stone to fill the corridor as Shale raised his arms to block. Meanwhile, the other golem lumbered past the battling giants to attempt to strike Will. His own shield was up in plenty of time, but the sheer forced of the blow still stumbled him. Most of the party had stepped back, knowing that their weapons would do little damage against the juggernaut. Sten, Oghren, Morrigan, Jowan and Wynne, however, stayed put, the mages weaving spells to attempt to pierce the heavy stone armor as the warriors swung their heavy weapons. Will fulfilled his part of the unspoken plan as bands of telekinesis wrapped around the stone warrior to hold it in place. He grimly remembered his time trapped in the Fade in the circle; the golems he had met there had been far weaker than the real thing. Still, without any way of defending itself, the golem was dismantled in short order.

Shale, meanwhile, had the upper hand against his opponent. Though smaller, it seemed they were evenly matched in skill, and from what Will could tell of the battle the other golem was holding back, unwilling to strike a death blow against its old friend. Finally, Shale pulled it to the ground and placed one foot on its back, keeping it still.

"Are you ready to speak sense, or shall I crush you like a fleshy creature?" Shale asked.

"Shayle… why…" the golem groaned out. "You fought alongside us… you were Caridin's most faithful… why do you betray everything he has fought for? You would see the Anvil used to enslave more souls on the whims of those that cannot understand it?"

"Please," Will said, crouching down to. "You say Caridin is alive, but he and the Anvil were lost a thousand years ago. How can this be so?"

"You know nothing, flesh one," the golem groaned out. "You come here to find something that you cannot comprehend, to use it foolishly, as all your kind do. I will not ALLOW IT!" With a roar, the stone soldier shoved itself back to its feet, knocking Shale off balance and lunging for Will.

Its battle, however, had weakened it, allowing Will's telekinesis to crush it along the fractures, shattering it into lyrium-leaking chunks.

A tense silence filled the corridor before Shale spoke. "I wish it had not done that, but I suppose there was no other option. But Caridin… to hear that name from another golem…"

"That's impossible!" Sigrun said. "Caridin died more than a thousand years ago, everyone knows that!"

Shale stared down at the Legion girl. "Say what you will, meatbag, but the fact remains that I remember Caridin… though I will admit that my memories are not yet complete." Turning, the golem shoved the door open. "Come, the answers we seek are beyond." Everyone glanced at each other; Shale had never shown a real interest in anything the party did aside from battle, so it was unusual to see him caring so deeply about this.

'Although it really shouldn't,' Will thought as he followed after the marching stone warrior. 'After all, this does concern his creation; he has a vested interest that he never had before.'

Marching down the next corridor; this one free of darkspawn corpses, Will heard the rumbling of stone as two more golems stepped out from alcoves, bracing themselves. "You shall not pass," they both said.

"Get out of our way," Shale said. "We are here to see Caridin; these fleshlings are under my protection."

If the golems had movable faces, Will was sure both their jaws would have dropped. "Shayle of Cadesh? We thought you destroyed," one of the golems said.

"Rumors of my demise were much exaggerated," Shale said. "But enough; take us to Caridin immediately. We do not wish to fight you."

The two golems glanced at each other, but seemed to be cowed by the force of Shale's personality. "…very well," one said, stepping back. "Caridin waits by the Anvil, as always. He will be glad to see you, though I doubt your fleshy companions will receive the same welcome."

Shale snorted. "We'll see," he said, brushing past the two guards. "All of you, stay close. With every step I take, I remember more, and it is vital that you do not anger Caridin."

They walked for a minute before reaching a pair of shining silver doors, each bearing the image of a golem with upraised fists. Far more carefully than normal, Shale pushed the doors open and marched in, followed by everyone else.

The cavern they entered was enormous, almost as large as the ones that held Bownammar and Orzammar. Unlike them, however, this one was mostly empty, with only a small (ie, only the size of a mid-sized surface building,) platform hanging over a massive lake of lava, fed by several lava-falls along the walls of the cavern. Without a single torch, this cavern was almost as brightly lit as the surface on a cloudless noon day. The platform had several lyrium veins, as well as a smattering of large statues.

Everything in the room, however, seemed to be facing towards the object set upon a raised dais made of what looked like obsidian: a pitch-black anvil, larger than any other anvil Will had ever seen. There was only one thing that it could be: the legendary Anvil of the Void.

Around the platform stood nine golems. Most of them were stone, but there were four that were made of steel, including the one that stood in the center of the cavern, staring at the Anvil. Finally, however, it turned to face the approaching Shale, lightning dancing between the many runes on its arms and a faint sheen of protective energies across its torso. If it came to a fight, this golem would be very difficult to destroy.

"You… Shayle?" the golem spoke. Its voice was deep and echoy like all the others, but there was something… different about it. There was an exhaustion that Will had never heard before, as if this golem had seen so much that there was nothing left in the world to surprise it anymore.

"It is I, Caridin," Shale said. "After far too long, I have returned."

Slowly, the golem named Caridin stepped forward, it's every footfall seeming to shake the ground a little. "My friend… yes, it has been far too long. I see you bring friends with you; who are they?"

"They are Grey Wardens, Caridin," Shale said, stepping aside and gesturing for Will to join him. "This one is the leader. It is… acceptable, I suppose."

Caridin's chuckle rumbled through the cave. "Oh, Shayle, you were always so harsh, even when you cared. I suppose some things never change." The massive helmet turned to Will. "But you, Grey Warden… I remember when your Order was young, it is good to know that you live still. But why have you come here?"

Will slowly stepped forward. "Are you the Paragon Caridin, the one who created golems?" he asked warily, thoughts racing through his head.

Caridin nodded. "Indeed I am, Warden. I was a dwarf, longer ago than I care to remember, but now I stand before you as a golem, cursed in the same way I cursed others. Fitting, don't you think?"

"What do you mean, cursed?" Will asked.

The golem sighed. "Though I made many things in my life, I was made a Paragon because of a single one: the Anvil of the Void. With it, I was able to create deadly warriors of stone and steel; as clever as any soldier, stronger than siege weapons, and durable enough to withstand an army… but there was a cost, a cost that I told few." He sighed. "No smith, however skilled, can create life. Even if I could make pure stone move, it would be worthless, unable to follow even the most basic of instructions. I needed a mind to control my invincible warriors… and I chose the minds of dwarves." He gestured. "Every golem you see before you was once a dwarf; taken and entombed in their armor; fueled by lyrium and pain. That is our curse: we gave up what made us alive to become the greatest of warriors."

A stunned silence passed over the party before Shale finally broke it. "I… was once a creature of flesh?" he whispered.

The Paragon nodded. "Indeed you were, old friend," he said. "Shayle of House Cadesh, the greatest warrior of King Valtor and a woman of great honor. You volunteered to become even stronger in the name of protecting the empire from the encroaching Blight."

"A… a WOMAN!" Shale cried, his… _her_ fists clenching hard enough to grind noisily. "You're telling me that not only was I a tiny thing, but that I was a female tiny thing?!"

"It is true, though you have not changed as much as you think," Caridin said, a small note of amusement in his voice. "You were always so strong…" He sighed again, melancholy once again entering his voice. "But the Warden still has not heard all of my story. For a time, I was satisfied with the Anvil; brave dwarves came to me, wishing to become strong enough to defend their Thaigs from the Blight, and I obliged them. But someone was not satisfied… the Dwarven King Valtor. It started slowly; he would pressure those who had not yet decided to undergo the process; using various incentives and threats to drive them to my Anvil. Even though I knew what he was doing, I did not speak out. After that, he demanded the control rods; to ensure that the golems would never think to oppose him, and I followed his command. Then he sent me the Casteless, and once again I did not speak out. Then came the criminals; and though I questioned I did not refuse. It was only when he began to send those whose only crime was opposing him politically that I could take no more. I refused to make another golem." A bitter laugh came from the helmet. "It seemed that my apprentices were more loyal to the King than they were to me, for that very night I was dragged from my bed and placed upon the Anvil myself."

"NO!" Sigrun cried, covering her mouth. "But… you're a Paragon! The King… he couldn't…"

"The King can do many things away from the eyes of the Assembly," Caridin said. "But what was done… it opened _my_ eyes. As I felt the burn of the molten lyrium, as the hammers struck me over and over, I knew the true depths of my crimes, and I swore that, if the possibility ever arose, I would destroy the Anvil so that no more could suffer by my folly." There was a pause before the golem Paragon continued. "The advantage I had was that my apprentices had failed to properly craft my control rod; my mind was my own. Eventually, I was able to destroy the ones that already existed; freeing not only myself but all the other golems that were here at the Anvil; though those serving elsewhere were beyond my reach. After a terrible battle; we claimed control of the Anvil and drove away the King's soldiers."

Will nodded. "But the Anvil still exists," he said, nodding to it. "You've been here for a millennium, why did you not destroy it?"

"I tried, we all did, but we cannot approach the Anvil. It seems that, in the final minutes of the battle, my apprentices chose to spite me by placing a modified control rod upon the Anvil: no golem, not even I, can approach it without being frozen. No matter what modifications I make to our structure; enough to resist all attempts by a control rod to dictate our actions; I cannot overcome that one rod. It is maddening." He took a step forward. "But you, Warden, you can do it! You are not like my friends and myself: you are flesh, you are free! You can destroy the rod, and even the Anvil!"

"NO!" a voice shrieked, and everyone turned to see Branka sprint in, followed by the two golems that Shale had convinced to allow Will and the others in. "The Anvil is mine! No one will take it from me!"

Will's hand shot to Spellweaver's hilt as he saw that Branka had her shield and mace out. "You travel a dangerous road, Paragon Branka," he said quietly.

"Warden, are you mad?" she snarled. "You would throw away the mightiest army the world has ever know, just because of a mad golem's ranting?! The Anvil is right there, ready for us to take it!"

"Branka, stop!" Oghren shouted, stepping forward. "You're confused! Can't you see how much you've…"

"I don't care!" Branka screamed. "The Anvil is our only chance! It will allow us to reclaim our rightful place in the world, rather than huddling in caves, surviving on scraps! The Anvil is how we shall recreated the empire!"

Caridin shook his head. "No, you are just like Valtor! You will misuse it! I will not allow you to enslave any others." All around the room, the golems moved to stand behind their leader.

The dwarf woman simply smirked. "You are not the only master smith here, Caridin," she said, hanging her mace on her belt before pulling a control rod out and raising it. "Did you truly think that I was doing nothing as I waited! No, I was studying the modifications you made to your golems to resist their rightful masters, and finally I have broken your defenses. Golems, to me!"

Every single golem save Caridin and Shale came to a halt for a moment before slowly moving to stand behind her.

"No!" Caridin cried. "This… you can't…"

"It's over, Caridin," Branka snapped. "The Anvil is mine now." She took a step forward, only to come to a halt as Will stepped into her path.

"Stop," he said. "Paragon, before anything else happens, I must know what you plan to do with the Anvil."

Branka glared at him. "That is none of your business, Warden. Get out of my way!" she hissed.

Will refused to move. "I will know the answer to my question, and I will know it now," he said, forcing his voice to remain absolutely frigid. He didn't want to have to fight off ten golems, but he was not going to simply stand aside as a madwoman potentially ruined Orzammar more than it was already ruined.

"Thank you, my friend," Caridin said quietly.

Meanwhile, Branka's eyes bulged for a moment as she spluttered. "You dare to get in my way?" she said. "I was willing to help you, Warden, but it seems that you are an idiot like all the others! You can't understand what must be done, just like they couldn't! So be it, _you will suffer their fate_!" Her gaze turned to the Legionnaires, standing a short distance away. "Dwarves! Your Paragon commands you to destroy this fool!"

The four looked at each other. "Paragon… are you certain this is a good idea?" Gaulm said warily. "There is a Blight in progress, we…"

"You will DO as I COMMAND!" Branka shrieked. "I am your Paragon! Kill them!"

"No," Sigrun said quietly. "Paragon… this is wrong. You knowingly sacrificed your house to create a Broodmother; the ultimate enemy of the dwarven people. You are no longer fit to be a Paragon." The other Legionnaires nodded, drawing their weapons as they did.

"I see," Branka said, her voice strangely quiet as she turned to Oghren, who hadn't moved since she had shouted at him. "And you? Are you going to turn your back on me as well, like this Warden, the Legion, Hespith? Are you going to betray me, Oghren?"

Everyone turned to stare at the red-headed berserker, who remained silent for a long minute before shaking his head. "Branka, you're confused," he said again. "Just… just put down the control rod, and we can go home, take a break…"

Branka simply raised a hand, her eyes blazing. "So, it seems you betray me as well, Oghren. I should have known; you were always worthless, just like all the others! No matter, I have everything I need already! Golems! _Kill! Them! All!_"

"We need to get to Branka, she holds the control rod!" Shale called. "Without it, my brethren will no longer be her slaves!"

"Easier said than done," Will muttered as ten imposing stone titans stomped forward, shielding Branka with their bulk. "Spread out!"

Everyone followed his advice as nine of the golems lunged, the earth shaking under their footsteps. The last, one of the steel golems, followed Branka as she retreated to the door: despite her insanity it was clear she recognized that she was the weakest link. However, with the imposing form of a golem in front of her, she was all but unassailable, especially since most of her enemies' focus was on her other slaves.

Caridin and one of the remaining steel golems were tangling at the center of the melee: though the former was clearly more advanced, he was unwilling to go all out against the other golem. Instead, he focused on defending himself from its brutal attacks, pleading with it in the vain hope that it would be able to overcome its control rod. Shale was fighting nearby, but she was unable to pull any of her punches against the larger golem she faced: unlike the first this one her current foe could do nothing but try to destroy her. Even from the brief glances he took, Will could tell that that conflict would only end in death.

The others were spread out around the room, each dealing with one of the golems in their own way. The four Legionnaires were darting in and out, their relatively small weapons only able to chip away at the tough stone hide. Fortunately, they had trained together for years and were able to keep the golem from focusing on any one of them long enough to cause damage. Each individual golem may be as intelligent as a living soldier, but it was still only one soldier.

Unfortunately, that left fewer to defeat the remaining six, especially considering that not everyone could hurt the living statues. Still, things didn't seem to be going too badly. Sten had challenged one of them; his Qunari forged blade carving deep notches in its stony skin as he wove and dodged despite his heavy armor. Still, every now and then his opponent was able to land a blow, causing the massive man to stumble away. Will could only hope that he would be able to make a miracle kill, or at least hold out until someone else came to help. Although, knowing Sten, the former was actually not so far-fetched.

Meanwhile, the mages were each fighting in their own way. The stone ground turned against Wynne's opponent as it shook: the short, stocky legs were unable to properly hold up its massive body. Then, as it toppled over, Wynne's eyes began to blaze as she called forth the spirit within to boost her power even further before slamming the butt of her staff into the ground, impaling the golem on a dozen stone spikes. Even this didn't defeat the golem, however, as it roared and emitted the brief blast of energy that Will had seen Shale use on occasion. Still, that fight seemed to be going well.

Morrigan did not have Wynne's command of the earth, but she didn't seem to need it. A hex had drawn itself upon the golem's form, causing it to stumble almost blindly whenever it attempted to strike her. It wasn't helped by the fact that ice was continuously forming around it, especially its legs, causing it to become even more sluggish. As more and more ice was piled on despite the golem's efforts to escape, it was clear that it was only a matter of time before Morrigan finally destroyed it.

Ironically, despite being the mage that normal enemies would be the most threatened by, Jowan was having the most trouble. Whatever they had once been, golems no longer had flesh and blood, and thus Jowan's blood magic was useless against the behemoth. Instead, he was forced to rely on his other skills; mostly fire learned from Will and his own entropy. Since neither of these things were particularly helpful against a golem, he quickly found himself on the defensive. Thankfully, Thunder was there to keep some of the golem's attention, even though he couldn't hurt it. It seemed that Branka's order of "kill them all," was hampering their intelligence, and thankfully the insane woman didn't seem to be about to rescind the order.

That left two golems for four party members: and Will knew instinctively what the division had to be. As he moved to face his foe alone, he left Alistair, Zelda, and Leliana to face their golem, hoping that they would be able to remain safe until one of the others could assist them. He had faith in their abilities, but none of them were carrying the proper weapons to destroy a golem.

Of course, all of this was going on in the back of his mind as he wove out of the way of the steel fist that rocketed at his face, using a shield to further force the attack away from himself even as Spellweaver bit into the golem's hide. It didn't penetrate nearly enough to be dangerous, but for him it didn't have to. He just had to weaken the armor enough to be able to use his telekinesis to destroy it. Ducking under another sweep of the golem's fist, Will scored another blow before being forced away by a heavy stomp.

Meanwhile, Oghren was not fighting. Instead, he rushed towards Branka, who still stood half behind her guarding golem. "Stop this!" he shouted. "This is madness! Is the Anvil really worth it, worth so many dead? The Legion knows what happened, Orzammar will never accept you after what you've done! If you just give us a chance, we can make up a story…"

"They will accept the Anvil!" Branka snapped. "They are not fools like the Warden you've tainted yourself with, Oghren! They'll realize that they cannot survive without the army of golems that only I can provide, and if they don't, I'll force them to understand!"

"Listen to yourself, woman!" Oghren cried. "Do you hear the words coming out of your own mouth?! 'Force them to understand?!' You set out to _protect_ Orzammar, not conquer it!"

The golem that was opposing Morrigan fell, one of its legs having become so brittle that it shattered upon impact. The witch turned to help Jowan, even though Alistair, Zelda and Leliana were closer. Since they weren't in immediate danger, Will supposed he'd allow her to focus on the person she had some respect for. A part of this was because most of his attention was still on his own battle: he didn't have time to micro-manage. 'Just a little longer,' he thought as he finished carving another crack before being knocked back a step by a fist to his shield.

Meanwhile, Branka was still glaring at Oghren. "If I can run Orzammar more effectively than the fools who are currently in charge, then why shouldn't I?! Isn't the whole reason your Warden is out here because the Assembly is unwilling to take the Darkspawn threat seriously? He should be thanking me on bended knee for saving him from their idiocy, for offering an army far greater than theirs! Imagine it, Oghren, _thousands_ of Golems! It only took hundreds to hold back the First Blight, thousands could conquer the world! Don't you see it?!"

"I do, and that's what scares me! The girl I married would never have wanted that! Sure, she was grumpy a lot, prone to outbursts, but she was a good girl at heart! She _cared_ about Orzammar!" Slowly, Oghren drew his battleaxe. "I don't know what happened to her down here to make her into the hateful wretch that stands before me, but I'm taking you back to Orzammar, away from all this! I will save you, even if it's from yourself!"

"…very well," Branka hissed before gesturing with her control rod towards her final golem. "Kill him." The steel soldier automatically obeyed, stepping forward and raising its fist to crush Oghren, only to stumble as the massive axe dug into its leg before the berserker hopped back.

Will's attention was drawn back to his own battle as the golem he was fighting stumbled, its leg seeming to be having difficulty holding its weight. It was almost time for him to finish this. Back flipping to get away from a burst of energy, Will stabbed Spellweaver into the ground before raising both his hands, focusing every ounce of attention into digging his telekinetic fingers into the cuts he'd created in the steel armor, as well as the existing weak points that the golem needed to move. With that done, he _pulled_, tearing the golem apart with an ear-piercing shriek.

With that done, he turned just in time to see a chunk of rock heading towards him at a respectable speed from one of the other golems. His shield wasn't enough to stop the attack, but it shattered it into several smaller pieces rather than a single mass that meant his ancient Elven armor was able to protect him from the rest, simply sending him sprawling rather than breaking bones. Rolling back to his feet, Will immediately turned to see if Leliana and her group were alright. They were, but Zelda looked like she'd taken a nasty hit, as her shield was held awkwardly and she was lagging behind Alistair. However, he also knew that he'd have to stop Branka, or there were going to be a lot more casualties…

Leliana must have noticed him looking as she shook her head. "We're fine!" she called as she somersaulted away from the golem. "Get Branka!"

A part of Will wanted to go and protect her anyways, but he took a breath and forced himself to think rationally: Leliana knew what she was talking about; if she said she was fine then she probably was. Besides, if he could stop Branka, then the golems would stop attacking anyways. Pulling Spellweaver back to his hand with a flicker of will, he turned to see that Oghren had lured the golem attacking him away from the door, leaving Branka undefended. "Surrender, Paragon," he called as he darted forward. "Put down the control rod, or I will be forced to take it from you."

"No," she hissed, stuffing it into a pouch on her belt and grabbing her mace again, setting her shield against her shoulder. "You will not stop me! Nothing will stop me! The Anvil is mine for the taking!"

Will didn't waste his breath on further talk, instead moving forward and aiming three slashes at the dwarven woman. Her shield moved easily to catch all of them, and Will quickly realized that, under the dark grey paint, the metal was silverite; well forged too. Spellweaver wasn't going through it, and from the subtle glow around the edges it appeared that there were anti-magic runes as well. This was not going to be a quick or easy fight.

The Warden quickly found himself grateful that he had been fighting so many genlocks recently; it had given him some much-needed experience in fighting enemies shorter than himself. Unfortunately, whereas most genlocks were poorly armed and armored, Branka was most certainly not. She was also proving to be annoyingly skilled, though Will imagined that anyone who went into the Deep Roads and expected to survive would have to be. Still, she had been a smith before, so he had hoped.

Branka shoved her shield forward, forcing Will to take several long steps back before counterattacking, only for her shield to once again be in the way. 'I have to get that away from her, or it'll take ages to defeat her, ages I'm not sure everyone has.' A short hiss of pain came from Sten's direction, driving that fact home. He needed some advantage, something to help him break Branka's defenses before it was too late.

Pushing hard, Will jumped and spun over Branka's head, lashing out with Spellweaver, attempting to hit her head with the flat edge, but once again her shield was too fast. Still, as he landed, it took her a moment to properly orient herself, giving Will some time to see how everyone else was doing. Both Shale and Caridin were still locked in stalemates with their opponents, as were the Legionnaires and Leliana's group. Wynne's battle seemed to be winding down in her favor, and with Morrigan's help Jowan and Thunder were back on the offensive. Only Sten and Oghren still seemed to be having trouble, but it was clear that both of them would be able to hold out until the mages were able to bring their magic to bear. "You can't win, Branka," he said, blocking two strikes from her mace before going back on the offensive. "This can only end one way. If you care anything for Orzammar, stand down and stop this madness!"

"NO!" Branka howled, coming forward like an avalanche, forcing Will back a few steps by the sheer fury of her assault. If this kept up… Will would be forced to go for deathblows, despite Oghren's wishes. Even that would be tricky; Branka's armor was likely heavily warded against magic, which combined with her natural resistance would make it difficult to attack her directly. That left only Spellweaver itself, and the Paragon had proven herself to be frustratingly talented. Stepping forward, Will drove the heel of his armored boot into the center of her shield in a blow that should have sent her flying, but merely staggered her as it sent a jolt of pain through his foot. Still he kept up his offensive, circling and trying desperately to break through her guard, only to be blocked again and again.

Suddenly, just as Branka had used her shield to force Will back several steps, Oghren pushed himself between them: Will hadn't even noticed that he had defeated his golem, an impressive feat. "This isn't right!" he cried, "Branka, think about what you're doing!"

The crazed dwarf simply took a swing at her husband, forcing him to block with the haft of his axe. "GET OUT OF MY WAY, OGHREN!" she shrieked, madness glinting in her eyes. "The Anvil is mine, and I will have it!" Will glanced back at the battle: both Caridin and his opponent seemed frozen in place; the golem leader must have lured the other one back into the defensive field around the Anvil. Leliana's opponent was also frozen there. Several others had been destroyed, leaving only a few scattered battles going on. Thankfully, it didn't seem like any of his friends had been hurt, though one of the Legionnaires was laying worryingly still.

The sound of metal on metal behind him caused him to turn to see Oghren holding his axe like a spear, focusing entirely on blocking as Branka did her damndest to cave his skull in. Will wanted to step in and help the berserker, but he could tell that the man wanted to do this on his own, and so he waited, just in case Oghren did need help.

"Don't do this, Branka!" Oghren said as he blocked another attack. "This! Isn't! Right! Orzammar trusted you! The rest of the house trustedyou! _I_ trusted you, and now you're throwing that all back in our faces for delusions of grandeur!"

"What do I care what fools think!?" Branka shrieked as she attempted to bowl Oghren over with her shield, but the stocky berserker stood firm. "You're all weak, unwilling to do what needs to be done to defeat the Darkspawn! Only I can do it!"

Will wondered if Loghain was as far gone as this crazed woman. He had left the Grey Wardens an the rest of the army to die at Ostagar, and he had begun a civil war in order to solidify his power, but Will hadn't heard anything about raving madness on the level he was seeing here. Still, something like that would probably be kept from the public, and that was the source of Will's information, so it could be that… he shook his head, he had more important things to worry about at the moment than what Loghain might or might not be up to, Branka was still armed and dangerous, and even if many of the golems had been defeated the others were still a threat. If Oghren couldn't defeat Branka soon, he might have to step in.

Thankfully, it seemed that the berserker knew what he was doing as he turned a block into a shoulder charge that knocked Branka away. "Branka… forgive me, but I will stop you, because if I don't, the Warden will probably do it by killing you. I'll save you from yourself."

Branka clambered back to her feet, her eyes almost flashing with rage as she let out a feral cry and lunged forward, trying to crush Oghren's skull with her mace. However, he clearly showed himself to be the better fighter: using a skill and finesse that Will had never seen before… or rather, had always been hidden behind the berserker's blood rage. Will silently reminded himself that it took a strong mind to harness and control rage; for all his dirty jokes and drinking Oghren was a force to be reckoned with. He'd triumph.

Will turned to make sure that everyone else was alright. Of the ten golems that had been forced to join with Branka, three had been frozen in the anti-golem field around the Anvil and six had been destroyed. The last, the one that had been fighting Sten, was being dragged back by Shale and Sten, it's attempts to attack thwarted by Morrigan before finally being thrown into the field and frozen. Wynne was crouching over the downed Legionnaire, her hands glowing with blue light as she tried to heal him. The battle was over.

Just as he thought that, he heard a grunt of pain from behind him and turned just in time to see Branka's knees hitting the stone, her mace clattering its way against the wall. She still held her shield, but it didn't do much good as Oghren used his greater strength to hold her down.

"It's over!" he said desperately as she continued to struggle. "It's over, dammit! Stop squirming!"

Will shook his head as he stepped forward and used Spellweaver to cut open the pouch that Branka had put the control rod in before pulling the object out with telekinesis and tossing it into the air, cutting it neatly in half at the top of its arc. "No, now it's over," he said, sheathing his blade.

"No!" Branka hissed, glaring hatefully up at the pair. "I remember the exact modifications I made, and I have other control rods! It'll be the work of minutes to reclaim what is mine!"

"Then I suppose we must crush its head," Shale snarled as she stomped over, only for Oghren to rise and place himself between his wife and the furious golem.

"There's no need for that!" he cried. "The rod is gone! Let me take her back to Orzammar, I'll help her, fix her, and…"

Shale shook her head, continuing slowly forward. "Many of my brothers and sisters lie dead because of this dwarf," she said. "And it has claimed that it will not stop its mad rampage until we are all its slaves. Stand aside, dwarf, and let me finish this once and for all, or I shall go _over_ it."

"Enough!" Will snapped, placing himself between the two. "Shale, enough. I know you're angry, but we can talk about this…"

"None so permanent as death," the golem said. "It is a Paragon; many will follow it, even as it proves its madness. The only way to ensure that it does not harm anyone else is to crush its head. It is the only way, Warden."

Will shook his head. "You don't know that, Shale," he said.

"Don't I?" Shale said, stepping up to Will, her massive bulk allowing her to loom over him as her blazing eyes glared into his. "Has the crazed dwarf not said that it will stop at nothing to enslave us? There is only one way…"

Before Will could figure out what happened, a sharp pain filled his chest and he found himself flying back. As he slammed into the wall, he realized that Shale's fist had struck him hard enough to be felt through his armor; had she had more time to wind up, she may well have broken ribs. 'But why…' he thought, his eyes blurred in pain. 'Why would…' As he slid down the wall, he got his answer; Branka had another control rod out and was pointing it at Shale.

"Kill them," the paragon hissed.

"BRANKA!" Oghren howled, trying to grab her wrist before being forced to roll away by Shale's approach. "After he tried to defend you! After _I_ did! What are you thinking?!" She didn't answer, simply pointed her new rod at Will, forcing Shale to stomp towards him. Will tried to stand, but he'd hit his head pretty bad when he struck the wall and was still disoriented.

A hiss split the air, and a moment later an arrow appeared between Branka's eyes.

Slowly, the rod slipped from her fingers and clattered to the stone, followed shortly by her armor's knees, then the rest of her. Shale came immediately to a halt, and a tense silence fell over the area. Finally, Will rolled to his feet, blinking several times to clear the remaining stars from his eyes, and moved over to Branka, nudging the rod away from her body before crouching down to ensure that she was in fact dead. She was.

A crunch from behind him caused Will's head to jerk around in time to see Shale lifting her foot from the shattered remains of the control rod. "Is it unhurt?" she asked.

"Yes," Will said. "My armor took the worst of it. Glad you're concerned."

"If it had been seriously harmed, I would have had to violently mutilate the crazed dwarf's body for using me to do it. It is even more vile than my old master." Will nodded slowly before looking at Oghren, who was kneeling silently beside his wife's corpse.

"Why… why'd you do it, you stupid woman," he muttered. "You could have done so much more than throw your life away for this stupid Anvil…"

After a few moments, Will crouched down. "Oghren?" he said softly. The dwarf twitched.

"You did all you could, Warden," he muttered. "Damn fool was given plenty of chances to stop, never did. She was always stubborn like that." A weak laugh clawed its way out of his throat. "Should have seen the signs earlier, really. Proud, driven, brilliant… but not good at listening to advice. It was her way or nothing, only she knew what was right. Not a healthy way of thinking; look where it got her." Slowly, he reached out and worked Leliana's arrow from Branka's skull, careful not to cause any more damage as he did. Finally, he set it aside before arranging Branka properly, finishing by grabbing her shield and placing it over her face.

The heavy clang of metal footsteps was heard behind them, and Will looked up to see Caridin standing there. "More lives lost to my madness," he said quietly, and Will was sure that if he still had eyes he would be crying. "I wish no mention of it had ever made its way into history." The helmet turned to Will. "But enough of this, with any luck those that have fallen today will be the last. I could never have done this without your help, Warden; so the honor of finally ending this long nightmare should go to you. Please, destroy the Anvil."

Will slowly stood. "It's not that simple, Caridin," he said. "I came here for a reason: I needed a Paragon's aid to force Orzammar to live up to its commitments." He gestured. "The one I sought is dead; I now need another."

The golem leader studied him. "In life, I was a Paragon, and there is no precedent for that being lost upon becoming a golem. Allow me to create a seal for you to carry back to Orzammar, it will allow you to speak with my authority."

"Come yourself, Caridin," Will said. "You haven't seen them: they won't listen to reason, so I doubt they'll listen to a trinket. I need a Paragon to stand in the Assembly Hall alongside me and make them do the right thing."

"I have not walked Orzammar's halls for centuries, Warden. Even before I became as I am, I avoided the city. There is no place for me there. Besides, once the Anvil is gone, there will be nothing left for me in this world."

"Please!" Will said. "I'll destroy your Anvil for you, just promise to come!"

Armored footsteps came from behind Caridin as Legionnaire Gaulm stepped forward, his face troubled. "Warden… perhaps it is not my place to speak, but I must. I believe destroying the Anvil would be a mistake."

Stunned silence filled the cave for a moment before Shale stomped forward. "So it believes as the crazed dwarf did?" she snarled, her glowing eyes burning into the shorter warrior's. "You wish us to be your slaves?!"

"No," Gaulm said. "The Paragon had gone mad, that much cannot be denied. She couldn't be trusted with the Anvil, or much of anything for that matter." He took a deep breath. "That does not mean, however, that she was completely wrong."

"What do you mean?" Will asked, carefully moving to keep himself between the clearly livid Shale and the dwarf.

Gaulm took a deep breath before speaking. "There are five golems in Orzammar. Only five. There were six not long ago, but one was destroyed saving Orzammar from being overrun by Darkspawn, something that happens with disturbing frequency. It seems, once every two decades or so, there's a large enough swell of 'spawn to threaten the last true dwarven city, and if the last of the golems didn't keep fighting, we would have been overrun ages ago." He spread his arms. "There are many thousands of dwarves in Orzammar: men, women, children. It's one of the last gasping breaths of a culture that is older than any other currently existing; once Orzammar falls, that culture is pretty much gone forever. Sure, there's Kal-Sharok, but they're not going to last much longer either. The largest remaining dwarven city rests upon the shoulders of an ever decreasing pool of warriors and five golems."

Shale started to say something, but both Will and Caridin raised their arms to stop her; both were willing to hear what the dwarf had to say. He nodded before continuing. "Golems are strong, that much is clear, but they are not invincible. They fall, one by one. What happens when there are only four? Then three? Two? One? We all know what happens when there are none left: Orzammar's finished." He gestured around. "But this… this Anvil _can_ save Orzammar, Branka was right about that! It may well be the only thing that can. If we could replace our golems, until we had enough to risk sending a few out to fight alongside those brave warriors buying Orzammar time with their own blood, we can save our culture."

"No," Caridin said. "The Anvil is too dangerous to be entrusted to those who would misuse it."

"Then don't!" Gaulm cried. "Keep it here, keep control over it! Refuse to make control rods, put up defenses! Just don't throw the Anvil away!" His eyes narrowed. "Besides, the nug's out of the sack now. Even if the Anvil is destroyed, the knowledge of how to make golems will still be known unless you're willing to kill us all to keep it secret. Even if you do, there are those who will do whatever it takes to recreate golems… or a substitute, and they won't have learned from your mistakes."

Caridin's helmet didn't change, but Will had a feeling that if it could he would have narrowed his eyes. "And so I should just trust that the Anvil will not be used as a tool of enslavement again?" he said. "Just open the doors and hope for the best?"

"Yes," Gaulm said. "Keep it here, far from those that would misuse it, but let it serve Orzammar… no, serve the dwarven people, once more. Should an army ever come to claim it, you can always destroy it then, but I doubt it would come to that: the Assembly won't be foolish enough to try and steal it."

"And what of the inherent wrongs?" the golem asked. "What of the unfathomable agony that it inflicts, the robbing of life in the name of strength? What do you say to that?"

Gaulm took a step forward. "I say that I would be willing to undergo that process if it meant defending my people," he said.

Another silence filled the air before Caridin spoke again. "You do not truly understand what you ask. You understand even less than I once did; I delivered the hammer blows before I felt them. You…"

"Then… listen to me," Shale said. "I will admit its arguments… have some merit. So long as the golems are not the slaves of the dwarves, so long as there are no control rods or lies… I do not regret becoming as I am… and I would withstand the pain again to become a golem."

Will nodded. "I'm no golem, but becoming a Grey Warden has its own risks and pains. Still, if that's what it takes to protect Ferelden from the Darkspawn, I'd do it all over again."

Caridin slowly turned away and stared at the Anvil atop its pitch-black dais. Nobody spoke, they could all tell that the Paragon was considering his options. Several times, he began to take a step towards it, only to glance at Shale or Will or Gaulm and settle back to think some more. Even Oghren had stood from Branka's side and was watching with rapt attention to see what the golem would decide.

Finally, Caridin slumped as much as a golem was able. "I... need more time to consider," he said. "However… I see your logic and reasons, and I accept that the Warden is in need of my assistance. I shall go with you to Orzammar, and by the time we arrive I shall have made my decision. I ask you all that, whatever it might be, you honor it." Will and Gaulm nodded. "Then let us be off. My surviving followers will be enough to hold the Anvil until my return." The surviving golems all nodded before spreading out again. "We shall leave whenever you are ready, Warden."

Will nodded. "Thank you, Caridin, and I swear that you won't regret this."

"I pray I do not."

* * *

><p>Lord Pyral Harrowmont slowly leaned back in his seat at the Assembly, clasping his hands as if he was paying attention to Bhelen's fiery speech when in truth he had heard it all before. Even if there were some interesting tidbit in there, one of his scribes or supporters would pick up on it and bring it to his attention. This left the head of the family free to plan.<p>

Ever since the Warden had passed through Orzammar in a flurry almost two weeks ago, the entire city had been speaking of little else. Rumors of the Carta's destruction were everywhere in the lower areas of the city, and Harrowmont knew that there were certain members of the nobility, even several of the dwarves in this very room, that were very upset by this fact. Of course, none of them dared speak out, Wardens were far too respected in Orzammar for anything short of open sedition or lethal assault upon noble persons to be punished with more than a slap on the wrist.

What was far more interesting to those in the Diamond Quarter, however, was speculation on what the Warden had stormed out into the Deep Roads to do in a time of Blight. Harrowmont himself knew, of course, but wasn't going to give away that sort of information, not when it was having such a profound affect on his opponent.

Bhelen had become increasingly unstable over the past two weeks. Not openly or obviously, of course, he had an image to maintain, but to the average politician, it was clear he was worried, and that worry was beginning to affect his performance. Whereas before he had been willing to play the waiting game of traditional dwarven politics, slowly chipping away at Harrowmont's support while shoring up his own, now he was constantly pushing for the vote to be taken as soon as possible.

It wasn't hard to figure out why: according to Harrowmont's surviving assassin, Bhelen's heavy-handed attempt to kill the Warden had been thwarted in the worst possible way for the would-be king: his men had been killed by Harrowmont's and forced to leave before they could figure out what, if any, alliance there was between the two. For someone as paranoid as Bhelen, that was as good as confirmation that Harrowmont had the Warden on his payroll, and thus he had to end the debate quickly before whatever scheme they had hatched could come to fruition.

Years of political experience kept the wry chuckle from the old dwarf's face; sometimes, the illusion of an alliance was more dangerous than the real thing. All Harrowmont had to do was not comment on the increasingly frequent questions about the Warden, both in public and in private, and Bhelen would make up all the stories he needed for him. A part of the dwarf wondered just how angry the Warden would be if he ever found out that Harrowmont had used his name in this way; it wouldn't do to anger the elf so much that he actively worked against Harrowmont, but it was quite possible that he would never return and that would be that.

Even if he did, if it wasn't soon it wouldn't matter anyways. Cracks were beginning to appear in the foundation of Bhelen's bid for the throne; cracks that were widening as more and more of his supporters began to wonder if they were backing a dangerously bright, hot flame that would burn itself out, that couldn't stay the course. Perseverance and patience were virtues in politics, and many believed anyone who couldn't exercise them was no worthy to hold power. All Harrowmont had to do was keep his cool, have a few words whispered in the right ears, and before long Bhelen would destroy himself.

Applause began to ring through the room as Bhelen reached his crescendo, and Harrowmont politely put his hands together several times: the speech was not openly against him this time, so he was expected to at least pretend to support it. Such was the ways of politics.

Before the applause could completely die, however, the doors burst open and a panting guard in full armor sprinted into the room amid gasps and shouts of outrage. "What is the meaning of this!" the Steward shouted over the din, ringing his gong several times. "Speak quickly!"

"The Warden… the Warden returns, my Lords and Ladies!" the warrior called. "And he has a Paragon with him!"

More stunned shouts filled the room as Harrowmont leaned forward: he had not truly expected the Warden to be successful on his little mission, but it seemed that he had underestimated the elf. The Steward, meanwhile, was desperately trying to regain control of the room. "SILENCE!" he cried, smashing the gong hard enough to risk denting it. Finally, the flurry of conversation turned into tense whispered and the Steward turned back to the kneeling guard. "Are you certain?"

"I don't know, Lord Steward, but I'm not going to argue with the man who has a steel golem and a full company of Legion of the Dead with him! He claimed that his words, and the words of the Paragon, are for the Assembly alone."

The Steward turned. "Lords and Ladies of the Assembly," he said. "If it pleases you, I suggest we hear what the Warden has to say. All in favor?" A chorus of affirmatives filled the room, joined by Harrowmont's. This would be interesting. "Then I once again present William Surana, Commander of the Grey in Ferelden."

The doors opened, and four figures entered. One was the massive steel golem the warrior had mentioned, carrying a small bundle in its arms. Just in front of him was the Warden, his armor still marked with spots of blood. The third, clad in his traditional dark armor, was Kardol of the Legion of the Dead, a rare sight indeed in Orzammar. Finally, almost invisible next to his more important companions, was Oghren of House Branka. Harrowmont felt his lip curl slightly; while old enough to overlook most of the warrior's disgraces, he would not have preferred for him to be there. Still, he supposed that this did concern the younger dwarf.

"Hello again," the Warden said, his eyes flashing slightly as he gave a bow that was just on the proper side of mocking. "Despite what many of you likely believed, I have returned, and I ask once again that you live up to your obligation to the Grey Wardens, that you aid us in this time of Blight." Silence met him before he sighed. "I didn't think so. Very well, have it your way." He gestured to the golem, who slowly lay down the bundle. "But first," the Warden continued. "I have discovered the fate of your Paragon Branka: her entire house was killed in Bownammar, just short of the Anvil of the Void. The Paragon's last wish was to find it. I have brought her back."

A voice rose from the Assembly. "You said you had a Paragon, not a corpse!" it called, and others began to shout and jeer in agreement. Harrowmont saw Bhelen smirking slightly out of the corner of his eye.

"SILENCE!" The Steward shouted again, ringing the gong several times before the shouting finally tapered off. With that done, he turned with a weary sigh. "Despite the dishonorable outburst, the point is made, Warden, that you told our guards that a Paragon wished to speak with us."

The elf smirked. "I did; I just didn't say which one. I followed Paragon Branka's last wishes and found the Anvil's resting place, and I found someone else there." He turned, nodding to the golem. "Paragon Caridin, if you would."

The Assembly dissolved into a frenzy as almost every single Deshyr leapt to their feet, shouting and trying to be heard, even the Steward seemed shocked to silence. Harrowmont slumped back into his chair, his eyes wide. The Warden had gone mad… and Harrowmont had insinuated that they were working together! Already, he could see the wheels turning in Bhelen's head as a smirk crossed the younger dwarf's face.

"I ask that you be silent, Deshyrs of the Assembly."

The golem spoke… and stunningly, everyone listened. There was a quiet strength in that voice greater than any shout could ever be. As the echoes faded away, the golem stepped forward, careful not to crush the body of the Paragon, coming to stand in the middle of the room. A silence so thick that it could dull a battleaxe hung over the chamber for a long minute before the golem spoke again. "I am sure you all have questions, as you should. Many of you doubt my words, as is your right. If you wish for proof, here it is." Slowly, he pulled a beautifully made shield from over his shoulder and held it out to the Shaper of Memories. In an almost trance-like state, the dwarf rose and took the shield, running his fingers along it. Then he did so again. Then a third time.

"This… is of Paragon make," he said reverently after observing for several more minutes. "And the seal… it is that of Caridin…"

"That proves nothing!" Bhelen cried, causing Harrowmont to raise an eyebrow. He must truly have been panicking to dare to speak himself. "The Warden could have found that out in the Deep Roads!"

The Shaper turned his hard gaze on Bhelen. "That is impossible: this was forged recently, it is no relic of the past," he said in a voice that left no room for doubt. "I can think of no other answer than this golem is exactly who he says he is." His eyes turned to Caridin. "However, I admit myself surprised, there is no mention in the Memories of…"

"That is because what happened upon the Anvil of the Void was kept from the Memories," the golem said. "However, it is true. Every golem was once a dwarf, every single one." He gestured. "And from that, I draw my next proof, for those who need further convincing. Bring the five golems of Orzammar to me; I shall name them all, for I remember every dwarf I have made into a golem. With their cursed control rods in place, they will not be able to lie."

Silence hung over the room before the Steward gestured to one of the guards standing slack-jawed at the door. "Do as he says. Bring the golems." The warrior jerked before nodding and dashing from the room. A few tense minutes of silence fell before the sound of heavy footsteps filled the hall and five golems marched in, each followed by their handler.

Slowly, Caridin walked to the first and stared into its eyes. "Tidus," he said after a long moment, and the golem twitched. Caridin stepped to the second. "Rennak." To the third, "Beretin." Then "Glakin," before finally naming the last "Aderis."

"Is it true?" the Steward asked. One by one, when prompted by their rods, the golems agreed that those were, in fact their names.

The stunned silence that once again filled the room was split as Kardol stepped forward. "For what it's worth, I second everything he said; he's proven himself to me, as has the Warden."

"Are there any objections?" the Steward asked, and several small nays were heard. "Then it is the decision of this Assembly to recognize the… unexpected return of the Paragon Caridin." He turned and bowed to the golem Paragon. "You have graced us with your presence, Lord Paragon. What is your wish?"

"My first wish is that each and every control rod in Orzammar should be destroyed: the golems are warriors of peerless honor and bravery, they should not be leashed and treated as slaves." Mutters broke out, but the Steward silenced them with a light tap on the gong.

"As the Paragon said, so shall it be done," he said firmly. "Destroy those rods, then go and do the same to the others." The handlers stared at each other for a long moment before one finally dropped the rod at her feet and slammed her armored heel into it, causing the golem she had been commanding to jerk and take a step forward. Slowly, the others did the same before turning and leaving the chamber.

"My friends, it has been far too long," Caridin said as all five of the golems stepped forward.

"Yes, Paragon," one of them said. "We thank you for freeing us at long last. What would you have us do?"

Caridin was silent for a minute before speaking. "I… would have you answer a question, one that I admit I am having trouble with. You know of the Anvil, and you, Tidus, were forced upon it after you spoke out against Valtor. If it were your decision, would you put the Anvil to use with restrictions to ensure that never again is it used as a tool of enslavement… or would you see it broken forever?"

More shocked mutters filled the room, but no Deshyr dared to speak as the golems considered. Finally, they all turned to the one called Tidus, who stepped forward.

"I… have thought about what happened a great deal. It is true that I did not go to the Anvil willingly; I was dragged to it kicking and screaming… but looking back, I find that I am at peace with what happened. I have saved many lives as a golem, stood alongside my brothers and sisters at the very gates to prevent the darkness from overtaking the city… I only wish that it had been my choice, rather than a madman's demands, that put me on this path." He nodded. "But you, Paragon, I trust you. You know what it truly means to be a golem, and thus I believe that the Anvil can be used for good, so long as it is by your hand that it is used." The other golems nodded gravely, and a sigh of relief seemed to pass through the room.

Caridin nodded. "Your confidence touches me more than you could ever know, my friends," he said. "Very well, I shall trust your judgment." With that, he turned back to the Steward. "Let it be known that the Anvil of the Void shall once more be used to make golems, with restrictions." He held up a finger. "First; there shall be no underhanded methods employed to trick or force dwarves upon my anvil. From the lowest casteless to the highest noble, only those who go of their own free shall be accepted, and should any change their mind they will be allowed to return without fear of reprisal." Another finger joined the first. "Second, there shall never again be control rods. The designs for them shall be destroyed. The golems will serve of their own free will." A third finger was raised. "Finally, it shall be myself and my trusted golems that shall watch over the Anvil, along with the Legion of the Dead. Never again shall those in Orzammar be allowed to use the Anvil as a convenient area of disposal for their enemies. Are these terms acceptable?" Most of the Deshyrs quickly agreed. "Then we golems will continue to fight for the protection of Orzammar and her Thaigs."

After a moment, the Warden cleared his throat. "Lord Paragon," he said.

"Do not worry, friend, I have not forgotten you," Caridin said. "I have one other thing to say to the Assembly. This is a time of Blight, and the Grey Wardens are in need of their allies. I ask, as your Paragon, that you set aside your differences and bring your warriors together to stand against the Darkspawn. I will not make the decision of who will be king, I do not know enough about those who would wear the crown, but I ask that you do not shirk your duty."

Slowly, Harrowmont rose to his feet. This was his chance to avert his late King's fears once and for all. "Honored Paragon, a word," he said. Caridin nodded to him. "I ask that you give us one last chance to redeem ourselves. Let us have one final vote, here in your honored presence. Should it end without a king-making majority, we shall put the matter aside until the Blight is finished. Is that acceptable?"

Murmurs filled the room again and Harrowmont watched Bhelen's eyes widen; it was clear they both knew who would win a vote right now. "I must protest," the young prince said. "The Paragon commanded that we prepare ourselves for war!"

"What could one vote hurt, if my honored ancestor agrees to it?" Lady Caridin called from her place. "Was it not you who has been clamoring for a vote for the past week?" More mutters of agreement were heard as Bhelen's fist clenched.

Caridin studied Harrowmont for a long minute before finally nodding. "So long as my friend the Warden has the allies he was promised before the Assembly leaves session, then I have no objections," he said. A small smile crossed Harrowmont's lips as he nodded.

The Lord Steward nodded slowly. "If it pleases the Assembly, we shall hold one last vote for who should take the Throne of Orzammar, here in the sight of a living ancestor. Who seconds this motion?" Several voices rose in agreement, along with a fair few nays. However, the former outnumbered the latter, so the vote began.

The results… were predictable. Many Harrowmont's supporters were the first to give their votes, setting the tone of the election. With that in mind, some of those who had still been undecided leapt to his side, hoping to earn their Houses some gratitude. There were still those that voted for Bhelen, but they were becoming more and more scarce as the vote went on and the outcome became obvious to even the least-knowledgeable Deshyr. By the time the last vote was cast, Harrowmont had a seventy percent majority, a clear victory.

"It is the decision of this Assembly, by the grace of the Paragon Caridin, that the next King of Orzammar shall be Pyral Harrowmont, Patriarch of the House of Harrowmont," the Steward said, moving from where he stood near his gong and stepping reverently to the King's Seat, the largest of the stone chairs in the Assembly. Upon it sat the crown, marking the fact that the seat was meant to be held in reserve until a new King could be elected. Now, at long last, that had come to pass. "Let this fact be recorded in the Memories, let word be sent to the criers, let all the city know that once again is there a dwarf upon the throne." Taking the crown carefully in both hands, the Stewards moved to stand in the center of the Assembly Chamber, the Paragon having gently taken his fallen fellow aside. Once there, he handed it to the Shaper of Memories, the only one authorized to actually crown a new king.

The Master Shaper turned to Harrowmont. "Pyral Harrowmont, do you accept the call to become our King, the First Lord of Orzammar, and the leader of our armies?"

"I do," Harrowmont said gravely. He had never wished for this burden, but King Endrin had begged him to take it up. He wouldn't disappoint his king.

"Then approach, and accept the crown."

With all the dignity in his body, Harrowmont rose to his feet and made his way down. Around him, various Deshyrs were using the staffs of their office to rhythmically pound on the stone, forming a steady tempo; a tradition to symbolize the beating of Orzammar's heart. That heart was his to guide now: a heart wracked by strife and bloodshed but still very much alive. Many dwarves would likely die in the coming months as they fought alongside the Wardens, but their kin would preserver, and with them would persevere the traditions of the Dwarven Empire. An empire that was damaged, limping, but like the beating of its heart, still undefeated.

Finally, the dwarf stood before the Master Shaper and knelt, bowing his head one last time. Slowly, the heavy weight of the crown came to rest upon him, and after a long moment he rose to his feet.

"May the Stone and Ancestors find you worthy, Pyral Harrowmont," the Steward said, his voice grave. "Now turn, first amid the Lords of Orzammar, and be recognized by the Assembly."

"NO!"

Stunned gasp echoed through the chamber as Bhelen shouted, storming down from his place.

"Bhelen Aeducan, stand down!" the Steward called. "The Assembly has spoken in the presence of…"

"NO!" Bhelen shouted again. "I will not stand by as this rotten, corrupt system destroys us! My honored ancestor, founder of the House of Aeducan, knew that, but the lesson he taught when he shut the gates of Orzammar have been forgotten by the spineless cowards that dare to call themselves Deshyrs!" He pointed a shaking finger at the Warden. "This Surfacer comes in here to dictate his terms to us, and he makes a deal with Harrowmont! Nothing he says an be trusted" Bhelen turned his blazing eyes onto the Master Shaper. "And you! You're as good as his kin! Of course you'll agree to his claims!"

The Steward's eyes widened as stunned whispers continued to fill the chamber. "BHELEN AEDUCAN!" he shouted. "You disgrace yourself, your House, and all of Orzammar! Not only do you insult the Warden Commander, but also the Shaper of Memories! Be silent before you speak more madness!"

"This 'Commander' is nothing but a boy whose betters all died at Ostagar, and not even one who has the decency to remain silent! He…"

The rest of what Bhelen thought of the Warden wouldn't be known any time soon, as the Warden crossed the room almost faster than the eye could track, arriving at Bhelen's side with his sword out and glinting, though thankfully not pointed at the dwarf. Still, the threat was clear.

"You call me a boy, Bhelen," he said in a dangerously silky voice. "But when the Assembly decided against me, I quietly left and sought recourse. You, on the other hand, throw a tantrum and claiming that everyone's conspiring against you. You sent your men to kill me in the Deep Roads because I _dared _to not bow to your heavy-handed demands. Never before have I seen someone with so much power so determined to be the victim. Tell me again _which of us is the child_." The dwarf's eyes bulged, but it seemed he wasn't willing to test the Warden with a drawn blade. "You know what's really ironic, thought? I never supported Harrowmont; if you'd have believed that you probably would have done better, but as it is, I think Orzammar needs a King that isn't so paranoid that he probably sees more enemies that there are dwarves in the city. Now follow your elder's advice and be silent, _boy._" With that, the Warden backed up and put away his sword before turning too look around the chamber. As he did, Harrowmont could tell that he didn't like any of the rest of them much more than Bhelen, but he was wise enough not to mention that. Instead, he pressed his point. "Now, can the Wardens count on the Dwarves of Orzammar to honor their word?

A few mutters were heard, but Harrowmont nodded; the Warden had been through enough that he was willing to accept some sharp, and honestly deserved, words. "You can, honored Warden," he said. "By my authority as King, I will send the orders for our army to prepare."

Though he tried to hide it, the relief on the Warden's face was clear. He must have truly thought there was still a chance that Orzammar wouldn't come to his aid. "Thank you," he said. "Please, be quick. The main horde is already on the move, we don't have much time."

* * *

><p>Zelda sighed as she made her way through the streets of Orzammar, her armor feeling heavy on her tired body. She had rather hoped that they would be able to leave the city immediately after the Assembly finally honored their deal, but it seemed that the dwarf lords had other plans. A feast had been prepared to honor the new king, and William had, of course, been invited. For a while, Zelda had truly thought that the elf would refuse, but in the end Caridin and Wynne had talked him into attending as a gesture of reconciliation. It would delay their departure by another day. While the others had decided to take a much-needed rest after their journey through the Deep Roads, Zelda had another destination in mind. The stale air of the underground had been getting to her for a while and she finally couldn't take it anymore. She needed air, she needed to see the sky, she just needed out for a while.<p>

Of course, it wasn't just the lack of air that was bothering her.

After they had secured Paragon Caridin's support, the question had been raised about what to do with Branka. Shale had been all for leaving the crazed dwarf to rot in the Deep Roads, but Oghren wouldn't hear of it. He demanded that she be taken back to Orzammar and given a proper burial. In the end, William and Caridin had been able to convince the golem, but that had raised its own battery of questions. Paragon's were deeply respected; to kill one would bring all sorts of problems, especially among the more traditional dwarves that they were relying on Caridin to sway. Finally, it had been Jowan's suggestion to simply not tell the Assembly about what she had done; pretend that she had simply fallen.

In short, he had suggested that she be allowed to remain a hero in the eyes of her people, despite her crimes.

That had caused even more contention; it must have struck dangerously close to William's memories of the aftermath of Solona Amell's death, but after several hours he and Shale had finally been convince. Still, it clearly left a bad taste in the elf's mouth.

Zelda could completely understand; it left the same taste in her own mouth. She had never been fond of politics; during her… rocky training to be a lady, she had always resented that the most. The dresses and dances were annoying, but at least they were tolerable, but little Zelda had never been able to wrap her mind around the fact that people would have to be convinced to do the right thing; why wouldn't they just do it on their own. Now, of course, she understood that people had different ideas of what was right, but at the time…

The blonde sighted bitterly; she'd had to think about the past, hadn't she? The wounds of Highever were still fresh, the knowledge that her entire family was dead. The Gauntlet had helped her come to terms with it, but she knew that it would hurt for a long time.

Passing through the Hall of Heroes, Zelda's eyes searched the various statues before pausing in front of the one nearest the door: the one dedicated to Branka. There was a crowd of mourners there; the news of Branka's death had been spread along with that of Caridin's return and Harrowmont's ascension to the throne. After several minutes of simply watching, the girl sighed and kept walking; she couldn't bring herself to act deeply mournful at the woman's death, not after she had knowingly sacrificed her entire house to the Darkspawn. Instead, she ascended the stairs towards the surface, hoping that the sun was still in the sky. Maybe it would be just dipping below the horizon, she'd always liked sunsets…

As she continued to think, the sound of raised voices was heard echoing from above. Wondering what was going on, Zelda turned her attention to trying to decipher what was being said; these Maker forsaken tunnels made it so hard to tell sometimes.

"…get in!" someone was shouting.

"I feel for you, human, truly I do," someone else that Zelda tentatively identified as the door guard said. "But I can't help you. Until the Assembly, the King, or the Paragon says otherwise, no one can enter Orzammar. That's just the way it is."

'Is it another of Loghain's men?' Zelda thought, tension entering her shoulder as she picked up her pace. 'That's all we need…'

The first voice continued, and there was something about it… "You don't understand, I have to find her! She's all…"

"Yes, yes, she's all you have left, I get it," the tired guard's voice said. "Look, why don't I just send someone down to check. Finding one of the Warden's companions won't be hard. If you'll just wait over there…"

The first voice raised in anger as Zelda reached the top of the stairs. "I thought she was dead for nine years! I'm not waiting a minute longer! I need to see my little sister with my own eyes, to know she's alive!"

That voice… Zelda _knew_ that voice… Abandoning all caution, she dashed down the short hall and burst out into the gate hall of Orzammar.

Standing just inside the door, being blocked by three dwarves, was a tall, cloaked man. His hood was down, revealing long, unkempt brown hair framing a face marred by a long, ugly scar. His eyes were wild as he all but pushed against the dwarves, still shouting at the uncomfortable looking gate guard.

It was impossible. It couldn't be…

"_Fergus?!_"

_AN: Sorry this took so long, I just couldn't figure out how to write somehow. Hope the chapter it isn't too intolerable._


End file.
